Junjou Fluff
by Hypercritical-Q
Summary: The Romantica, Egoist, and Terrorist couples undergo a series of trials and tribulations that will inevitably bring them all together. Includes smut, fluff, and may include spoilers up to volume 12. Last Chapter Posted.
1. Romantica: Mysterious Messes

**AN:** I've re-written chapters 1-3, made them longer and added some description so that you're not confused due to the over-dose of dialog. This one has been the hardest chapter so far… so I added a lemon. I'm pretty much Usami now, with my smut-writing obsession…

**Warnings**: Yaoi (obviously), oral. **… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Junjou Romantica

**Note: **Chapters 1-6 will revolve primarily around the 3 main couples, in order: Romantica, Egoist, Terrorist, but due to Kamijou and Miyagi working together, there will be some crossovers, too. After chapter 7, all three couples come together; not under the happiest of conditions.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing Junjou-related.

_**See Cultural/Japanese Notes, and Footnotes at end of chapter(s)**_

-..- . -..- Chapter One: Messes -..- . -..-

_ -Saturday 1A- _

Misaki lay, sprawled out on the floor after a full day's worth of cleaning. He didn't know who had left the fridge open the night before, resulting in the horrible mess he'd had to clean in the kitchen, nor was he certain as to who had knocked over the entertainment center in the living room, resulting in that… erm… well, mess was an understatement...

He was fairly certain he hadn't been sleepwalking, and he didn't remember opening the fridge at all last night, so it was safe to say it was probably the only other occupant of the gigantic castle that Misaki called home- a certain novelist. This was getting out of hand, though; this was the fourth day in a row he'd had to clean up after that smut-writing bastard, and he was getting pretty tired of it. It'd be fine if Usami would fess up and apologize or give some kind of reason, but he'd always either deny it or put up some kind of confused or air-headed front.

"Tadaima." Usami let himself in, suddenly, tugging at his tie on his way in.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" Misaki snapped, peeling himself off of the floor. It was four PM on a weekend and when he'd awoken, Usami was nowhere in sight. He hadn't left a note- only the mess Misaki had spent the entire day cleaning.

"I was out at a meeting… I told you about it." Usami replied, heading up to his room. "…The place looks nice."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! I woke up and it looked like a tornado had hit!" Misaki complained, following his lover up the stairs, frustrated.

Usami tossed his tie across the room, grabbing another one and putting it on. "What're you talking about?"

". . . Are you going somewhere, now?" Misaki arched a brow as Usami collected a few things.

"Yes, I already told you I'm going to be busy all day… I'd invite you along, but I wouldn't put the one I love through what I'm about to go through."

"…Sick?" Misaki blinked, confused, and Usami shook his head, negatively, heading back downstairs. "Meetings."

"Meetings?" Misaki tapped his chin, thoughtfully, as he followed Usami back down the stairs. "Meetings… meetings… like… sitting around, right?"

"Right."

"Discussing things?"

"Yes…"

"…NOT CLEANING UP THE REMNANTS OF A HURRICANE?!"

"I really haven't the slightest idea as to what you're referring to." Usami frowned, sliding on a pair of glasses. "This place has never looked more pristine."

"THAT'S BECAUSE I SPENT EIGHT HOURS CLEANING IT!" Misaki fumed.

"…What're you talking about?" Usami asked, realizing there was also a stain on his shirt and heading back upstairs to change it, too.

"I'm talking about the mess I woke up to! Surely you noticed it on your way out?! You couldn't have made it to the door unless you could FLY!"

". . ." Usami closed the door on Misaki's face.

Misaki's jaw dropped. "…HEY! ANSWER ME YOU SON OF A-!" He threw open the door and flushed when he saw Usami tugging off his shirt and pitching it.

"Ah, Misaki," Usami turned with a smirk and a special gleam in his eye that Misaki recognized instantly. "you wanted to watch?"

". . ."

The door slammed again and Misaki stormed toward the stairs as fast as he could, but something latched onto the back of his hoodie and dragged him back into the room…

The door slammed once again, entrapping Misaki with his impending doom.

"Usagi-san… what're you doing?! You have to go, right?!" Misaki squirmed under his lover's strong hold. The older man was hovering above him on the enormous bed.

Usagi simply smirked, leaning down for a kiss.

"Usagi-san!" Misaki admonished, turning, only to have his neck ravaged. "…You're supposed to be an adult, aren't you?! Shouldn't you be hurrying back to your next meeting?"

"I'll be more focused if I get my daily dose of Misaki." Usami turned Misaki's face and kissed him, gently.

"Stooop…" Misaki whined, pulling away and blushing lightly. "…You have to go to work, don't you, Usagi-san?!"

"…I do, but I'm allowed to be a little late." Usami smirked, kissing Misaki again.

Misaki hesitantly kissed him back, wondering, for a moment, if it was that mind-set that got Usagi-san into so much trouble when it came to not meeting his deadlines… He let his mind drift a bit more before focusing on their kissing. He shut his eyes and moaned softly as Usami ran his hands down the brunette's stomach to their desired destination, stopping only when he reached it, the novelist gripped at Misaki's swelling length from beneath his pants.

"Uaah…" Misaki gasped, leaning away, but Usami had a gentle but strong grip on him. "…No…"

"…Cute." Usami smirked, pumping a couple of times.

"Mm…" Misaki shut his eyes, shrugging his shoulders, nervously and uncomfortably. "…Stop…"

"No way." Usami countered, smirking and pumping harder.

"Mm… No…" Misaki whined, squirming, shoulders shrugging from one side to the other as his fingers came to rest on Usami's chest. "…No means no…"

"No means yes; sometimes." Usami raised his other hand to the back of Misaki's head, pulling it to his chest and kissing Misaki's hair, gently. "Like now… while your upper half says no, your lower half is saying yes…"

"…But my brain is in my upper half." Misaki huffed, trying to pull away, but Usami held him there, smirking and rolling the two over yet again, resting a knee between Misaki's legs; making sure it brushed against Misaki's crotch.

"Aaah!" Misaki couldn't bite back his moan, "Stop…"

"Why are you resisting, Misaki?" Usami smirked, rubbing again. "Are you guilty? Frightened?" He took Misaki's hand and licked his fingertips, sensually. "Do you think I want to dominate you or something? To punish you? To hurt you? Make you suffer? Make you sad? Do anything other than to make you _writhe _with pleasure?"

". . ." Misaki blushed, falling silent, before nodding.

"…WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YES?!" Usami froze. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"…Your upper half and lower half say so…" Misaki huffed, turning away. "Besides… you really should be getting to work…"

"Like I said, it can wait." Usami tugged Misaki's shirt up to expose his small chest.

"…Usagi-san… what about the messes?" Misaki blushed lightly before gawking as Usami tugged his pants down, too.

"I said it already, right? I don't know what you're talking about." Usami mouthed Misaki's length, going down on it completely and swallowing.

"Aaaaah!" The resisting stopped and Misaki threw himself back on the bed, fully, arching his back as more moans ripped from his throat. "U-U-Usagi-saaan!"

Usami raised enough to lick the tip and smirk before pumping a few more times with his hands, licking any pre-cum that leaked out, threatening to stain his sheets. "Misaki… your legs are trembling…"

"…Usagi-san… I…" Misaki sat up; reaching down for Usami's face, but Usami went down on him again. Misaki winced, trying not to cry out as he watched his lover's mouth engulf his erection. His fingers, which were still raised near Usami's head, were trembling, as was his entire body. "Usagi-san… I'm going to… going to… aaaaaaah!!" Misaki shut his eyes tightly as he came down his lover's throat, falling back into the sheets behind him and panting, shuddering as his lover swallowed the last of his semen.

Usami swallowed it and rose up, kissing Misaki gently. Misaki shut his eyes, wrapping his arms around his precious Usagi-san and whimpering when Usami's tongue invaded his mouth, sliding along his own supple pink muscle.

The college student wondered if his cheeks would stain and forever remain the abnormal color of pink that they often were when he was with his lover. Usami's train wasn't making the normal racket it usually did, so the only sounds filling the room were the wet sounds of their own little make-out session… this only made Misaki blush more; it was getting to the point to where he could FEEL himself blushing…

After a moment, he felt Usami's hand on his own, and the older man took the smaller hand into his, guiding it to the bulge in the writer's pants.

Understanding, and for once, not arguing or resisting, Misaki reached up for Usami's chest with both of his hands, pushing him away and back-down on the bed. Swallowing nervously, Misaki unbuckled Usami's belt, unzipped his pants, and pulled him out, staring at the large organ, nervously.

"If you do it, make sure you either catch it or swallow it." Misaki could hear the smirk in his lover's voice.

"Why?" He huffed, oppositionally.

"Aikawa would understand why I had to change shirts, but if I come out with a new pair of pants, she'd think it odd, don't you think? And when that woman gets thinking, she-"

"IS AIKAWA_** OUTSIDE**_ WAITING FOR YOU?!" Misaki bellowed.

"Of course not, she's waiting for me at the next meeting place… Isaka will probably give us hell if I'm late…"

"So this is a meeting you don't want to go to?" Misaki huffed, working his hands over his lover's dick.

"Nn… Not really. I hate all meetings, but having to tolerate that guy is bad enough as it is… anyway, he'll probably cry or something if I'm late. If that's the case, and I have to put up with some kind of obnoxious temper tantrum, I really will take it out on you, Misaki."

Misaki licked Usami from the base to the tip before going down on him, a little too fast. He almost gagged himself, but as far as he could tell, Usami hadn't noticed. He started swallowing; trying to mimic what Usami had done for him. Usami wasn't trembling… was he doing this right?

Then he got an idea… sure something like _that _really turned him on when he was a virgin, but maybe Usagi-san would enjoy it, too…?

He reached up with his hands as his head continued bobbing up and down on Usami's groin, and he tugged Usami's pants down to his thighs, placing both of his middle fingers on either side of Usami's hip bones and slowly sliding them down along the sensitive skin of his nether regions toward his crotch.

He found that doing that when he was younger would usually cause him to involuntarily shudder, and back then it would turn him on, so he hoped Usami might also become turned on by it… though Misaki could pretty much be lying there dead asleep and without a doubt, Usami would probably be turned on by it…

What an unpleasant thought…

"…NN… Mi…Misaki…"

Misaki reveled in his little victory; he felt Usami shudder, if only momentarily, but then he felt large fingers weaving through his bangs and hair.

"Misaki… I want to see it… your cute face…" Usami whispered as he sat up a little.

Misaki blushed deeply, now that Usami could see him, he felt more self-conscious. He moved his hands to cover his mouth as he continued sucking.

"Misakiiii…"

Misaki's eyes widened a little as he felt a warm, gooey substance enter his mouth and leak down the back of his throat. Closing his eyes, he sucked and swallowed until no more came out.

Tentatively, he pulled back and pulled Usami's pants back up, wiping his mouth, though he knew he'd swallowed it all.

"…Misaki…" Usami reached up to caress his younger lover's cheek and guide his face to his own, kissing him, gently.

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki bowed his head a little, embarrassed, and Usami pecked him on the forehead. Suddenly he felt lonely at the idea of his lover leaving him… "Do you… want anything to eat before you go?"

"I just had something, thanks." Usami smirked, teasingly.

"…Are you coming home for dinner?" Misaki looked up, sadly.

"Sorry… eat without me." Usami frowned, caressing his younger lover's cheek.

Misaki blinked before nodding. "Alright…" He got up, and headed out to wait for his lover.

He closed the door behind himself and headed down the stairs, dejectedly. Usually a man would feel satisfied after having done _that, _wouldn't they? But he found himself feeling quite teased and somehow wanting his lover to stay home for just one evening—

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! AM I COMPLETELY TURNING INTO A WOMAN?!' Misaki yanked at his own hair in frustration from his own feelings before yanking his shirt up to his collar bone to check for actual breasts. He lowered his shirt and fumed, plopping down on the couch, only to land on something- a book or who knows what, and groan, climbing off and setting it on the coffee table.

Usami came back out of his room, moments later, completely changed and holding a bundle of miscellaneous paperwork. "Anyway, I'm off!"

"…Come back, safely… Ah-! YOU CHANGED YOUR PANTS, ANYWAY!" Misaki gawked.

"…Well, this shirt looks better with these pants… I'll just explain that to Aikawa." Usami shrugged.

"B-but you said… You… YOU…" Misaki trailed off.

"Itekimasu."

"…If you end up coming back in time for dinner, give me a call." Misaki muttered as he sat down on the couch. "Oh, I'll leave something for you to warm up." He tacked on in a monotonous tone.

"Ah, Misaki," Usami stopped before passing the couch completely, "a goodbye kiss…?"

"FORGET IT! I'M STILL MADE AT YOU FOR LEAVING ME THOSE MESSES! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME WITH A MESS, COME BACK AND DENY EVERYTHING, LEAVE AGAIN, AND EXPECT A KISS AFTER ALL OF THE HARD WORK I DID!!"

"…What about all that just now?" Usami arched a brow, playfully.

"That's because-!! Th-that's because-!! That's different!" Misaki snapped, face beet. "But a goodbye kiss is out of the question! Not after all that hard work!"

"In that case, it's a reward for all of your hard work." Usami gripped Misaki's cheeks together, squishing them slightly and pecking Misaki on his forcefully pursed lips. "Try not to miss me too much while I'm gone, I promise tomorrow we'll spend the entire day together, and if you'd like, you can order out tonight, since there's probably no food left in the fridge."

"SO YOU **DID** KNOW?! The entire contents of the fridge have gone BAD because you left it open! Don't you know there're third-world countries tha-"

"If that's the case, and you really don't want to order out, then go shopping." Usami handed Misaki his card, "But I really wanted us to go together… then again, I'll be fairly busy the next couple of days… all of these meetings, and I still have a deadline just around the corner…"

"THEN WORK INSTEAD OF MAKING MESSES!"

"Bye, Misakiii!" Usami waved as he was closing the door on himself.

Misaki fumed before glancing down at the card in his hand. "I'm going to go buy a camera so that if Usagi-san makes another mess tonight, I'll have proof!"

-..- . -..-

The brunette made his way along a quiet road, the card and what little cash he had were stuffed messily into his pocket. His brows were furrowed in determination and fury as he stomped his way to the store.

A small child passing by with his mother cried out, pointing at him: "Mama, a monster!"

Misaki blinked out of his furious stupor and laughed, nervously, waving to the child before sighing and continuing on his way.

"Usagi-san… where does he get off, anyway?!" He muttered to himself, fist clenched and trembling, dramatically. He wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and he suddenly heard a loud honking noise, almost like a car horn…

Blinking, he glanced up, just in time to be yanked out of the way of an oncoming car. "UAAAA!!" He gawked ahead, eyes slowly glancing to the side and watching as the car sped off.

Laughing quite nervously, now, he slowly turned to thank his savior. "…Th-thank you so much! I was almost- ah-?! Sumi-Sempai!"

Sure enough, his senior was standing before him with a rather disturbed look on his face.

"Misaki-kun, if you don't pay better attention to where you're going, you're going to die at nineteen…" He informed him.

"Ah- yeah… about that… I was just upset- I should have been paying better…" Misaki's eyes slowly drifted to the video camera in his sempai's hands. "…Uah… what's that for?"

"…It's called a video camera… you point it at things and it records the images it sees, like memories, and you can wa-"

"I mean why are you carrying it around?" Misaki asked, excitedly, kneeling down to get a better look at it.

"…Well, I had to videotape a project, but I'm almost done with it… why do you ask?"

"Ah… I need something like that to tape Usagi-san… I think he may be sleepwalking lately, since, when I wake up, there's a big mess everywhere that I end up having to clean up… about how much did it cost?"

". . . For taping Usami-san?" Sumi asked.

"Yeah." Misaki nodded.

"While he sleeps?"

"…Well… yeah, while he sleepwalks…" Misaki stood up straight, blinking a little stupidly.

". . .But while he sleeps, right?"

"…Yeah…"

". . ."

Sumi set the video camera in Misaki's hands. "…Borrow it."

"Eh?!" Misaki gawked. "Really?!"

"…In exchange, I want to see, too."

". . . Uuh… err… I don't know…"

"Where were you going to go?" Sumi asked, grabbing Misaki's arm and tugging him across the street in the direction Misaki had been headed before his near-death experience.

"Eh? Ah… the store… and maybe to an electronics store, but… for now, I think I only have enough to buy dinner tonight… I guess it wouldn't be right to purchase something as expensive and extravagant as a video camera with Usagi-san's money… even if he deserves it… he wouldn't notice it anyway, but… I don't think my strong moral up-bringing would permit it…"

"Let's go together…" Sumi smiled, tossing his arm lazily around Misaki's shoulders. "I'll make sure you don't get hit by any cars or anything…"

"Ah… aheheheh…" Misaki rubbed the back of his head, bashfully. "Thanks again… if it hadn't been for Sumi-sempai, I think I'd probably be critically injured right now… or dead…"

"Mmm… Usami-sensei probably would become extremely upset if you were to be hurt, huh, Misaki?" Sumi noted.

"…" Misaki blinked, frowning. "…You're just trying to rub it in that I'm an idiot!"

"No, it's true… your brother, too, right? Do you really want to go and leave your brother all alone?"

"NO!!"

"Then pay better attention to where you're going, space-case." Sumi huffed. "Not to mention, if I had seen you die right before my very eyes… it would be most traumatic for me."

"You're making too big a deal out of it."

"Don't worry, Misaki. If that did happen, I'd wait an entire week before seducing Usami-sensei."

"WHAT?!"

Sumi laughed, pointing to the grocery store. "Here we are! I have to shop, too."

"Really?" Misaki blinked as the two entered and headed toward the fruits and vegetables. "…Do you shop for your parents or grandparents or something?"

"Not for my parents, for me." Sumi blinked. "Why?"

"…You drink prune juice?" Misaki made a face at the item Sumi had put into the basket he had grabbed on his way in.

"I'm all for trying new things."

"…Trying new things?" Misaki perked, grabbing one, too. "Me, too!"

"So how is your relationship with Usami-sensei?" Sumi asked as the two shopped around.

"Well… we haven't spoken to one another much, since he's been busy… before that, things were pretty normal…"

"So you mentioned earlier that you keep waking up to messes, right? That's sort of strange, isn't it?"

"You bet! I've never dealt with anything like it before! It's like a tornado rips through the place while we're asleep! I even woke up in the middle of the night a few nights ago and ran down the stairs, but no one was there! When I checked on Usagi-san, he was fast asleep!"

"…You don't think it could be someone or something else, do you?" Sumi inquired.

"There's no way!" Misaki snapped. "He just HAS to be up to SOMETHING… I don't know what… but I have a bad feeling…"

"Hmm…" Sumi shrugged. "Don't know what to say about that… if he's trying to seduce you, I'd think these little acts would have the opposite effect."

"I don't know how destroying a household could be considered a turn-on for anyone…" Misaki muttered, picking up some rice. "Hmm… is brown rice really supposed to be more healthy?"

"…I won't buy it." Sumi grabbed some white rice. "I don't normally buy it."

"Mmm… what happened to trying new things?"

"…Hmm…" Sumi huffed, tossing a bag of brown rice into his basket.

'…The other day, Usagi-san also mentioned trying new things…' Misaki thought back on his lover's words. '…But I can't link THAT to these damn stupid messes!!'

"Misaki?" Sumi blinked.

"Guuuu…. I really don't get that guy at all sometimes!" Misaki fumed.

"Ah… you know… I'm pretty used to you and your antics… but I imagine any normal person simply observing you from afar would probably be somewhat put-off by your often-changing facial expressions… you know… I watched you once as I approached you, rather than calling out, and as I watched, your face went from bored, to thoughtful, to kinda pissed-looking… then you finally noticed me and it went completely innocent like normal…"

Misaki blushed beet. "…It's because of Usagi-san!!"

"Yeah… I kinda figured that… still… are you really thinking about him all the time?"

"Yeah… pretty much…" Misaki made a face.

"…You should mask it more…" Sumi shrugged.

"You mean because it freaks people out?" Misaki asked, grabbing some ramen off the shelf.

"That, too… someone's going to think you're demon possessed one of these days, you know…"

"Eh…" Misaki's brow twitched.

"Well, I've got somewhere I have to be, and it's getting late… see you in school."

"See you… thanks for lending it to me, I'll be sure to bring it back on Monday."

"With the recorded findings, please!"

"…Right…" Misaki sighed, feeling utterly guilty… a bad feeling swelled in the pit of his stomach.

To Be Continued… (in chapter 4)

-..- . -..-

**AN:** Okay, so I added a lemon scene in there because, even after adding in more description and stuff… it was still only like 3 pages… the lemon scene added 2 more, that's the best I could do… okay, so that's not true, but… Romantica's actually my least favorite couple, so it's harder for me to get into writing them- don't worry, though, they still have a huge part in the future! Everybody does…

**Chapter 2 Summary: **Switch to Egoist Couple: Nowaki's birthday is coming up, and Kamijou has him come up with a list of things for them to do (while he inwardly brainstorms on what to give Nowaki as the perfect gift). Kamijou and Miyagi switch precious possessions; Miyagi's car for Kamijou's list (unintentionally).

**Chapter 3 Summary:** Combination of Egoist and Terrorist Couples: Shinobu finds the list of things to do for Kamijou's birthday and jumps to conclusions, seeing as it had been in Miyagi's pocket. The Egoist and Terrorist couples have dinner together…?? WTH?

**Chapter 4 summary: **Back to Romantica! (Continuation of this chapter!) The true creator of these past few nights' worth of messes is revealed, and about a week later, an even more startling revelation is made: Just what _was _Professor Kamijou Hiroki's relationship with Misaki's lover-?!

Read and find out, Chapters 1-5 are currently posted.


	2. Egoist: Birthday Wish List

**AN: **Romantica Storyline will continue in chapter 4, this chapter centers around Junjou Egoist and will be longer than the last.

**Special thanks to: ** TGYamiBakura who informed me that my last story had been uploaded in random italics… I don't know what happened, but… it was weird.

Also to Kokiden, who said: "…either you or your beta or both have done an excellent job!" What a nice compliment! I don't have a beta, so it made me turn to mush when I read that! I actually only spent a small amount of time on it… **And thanks to all other reviewers! You're ALL too kind!**

**Warnings: Yaoi, more like shonen-ai in this chapter… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**-..- . -..-**

**Chapter 2: Birthday Wish List**

**-..- . -..-**

_ -Wednesday 2- _

Kusama Nowaki was, by no means, the type of man who would ever,** EVER** cheat… so when his lover, Kamijou Hiroki spontaneously asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and the unsuspecting med student froze up and grabbed the first thing he could off of the table, that being a magazine, and raised it up to show Kamijou, pointing at the woman on the cover and saying: 'This new rising star is pretty cute, huh?' Kamijou did NOT buy it. Not for an **INSTANT**.

Arching a brow, arms folded, Kamijou just stared at his lover.

"…" Slowly, Nowaki turned the magazine so that he, too, could see the woman on the front cover. She was a Scandinavian Opera singer with one eyebrow who probably weighed three times their combined weight. "…Well… I… I think she's sort of cute…"

"…What would you like for your birthday, Nowaki?" Kamijou asked again, shaking his head and repressing a shudder… He didn't have anything against Scandinavian women… nor did he have anything against women who were fat… nor did he have anything against women that couldn't grasp the concept of using a razor to separate their eyebrows… It was just that the mere thought of women pretty much turned him off.

"My birthday…" Nowaki sighed, blushing lightly. "Well… I don't know, really… th-there's nothing in particular… Anyway, it's not like it's my _real_ birthday anyway…"

"A birthday is a birthday and the person who is having the birthday should always have a HAPPY birthday, so make a list." Kamijou huffed. "For the past two birthdays, I've tried sneaking around and watching to see what you pick up and what you seem interested in, and whenever I think about buying it, you buy it first!"

"Because if I want something, I'll just buy it…" Nowaki blinked. "Unless it's extravagant or something."

Kamijou's eyes flashed and he leaned over, moving to the edge of his seat as his eyes widened slightly. "…Extravagant?"

"…Like something neither of us could afford." Nowaki laughed softly at his lover's reaction.

"If it's something I can't afford anyway, tell me." Kamijou suggested, quite interested to hear what it could possibly be… besides, he had connections… sort of… he had Usami anyway.

"Well… it's not just the extravagance… it's that it's just not very realistic…"

"Then definitely tell me, Nowaki." Kamijou huffed.

"Well…" Nowaki thought about it. "…If I had to name the most extravagant thing out there… it'd be a trip to…" He fell silent, face flushing deeply.

"…A trip toooo…?" Kamijou, despite struggling not to seem too absorbed in Nowaki's confession, was now literally sitting on the edge of his seat in their cramped living room.

". . . O-o-onta…O-onta…"

"Onta…?" Kamijou blinked, confused.

"Ontario… Canada…" Nowaki practically deflated, as though he'd just admitted his most kinky fantasy or something.

"…Why would you want to go there?" Kamijou blinked, confused. "Oh! Do you want to see the Niagara Falls?!"

"…Partly… but uh… Ah! I'd better start on dinner now!" Nowaki stood, suddenly, hurrying into the kitchen.

'Nowaki wants to see Niagara Falls…' Kamijou thought, tapping his chin as he sat down in his seat, properly. 'But this is going to take more than Akihiko's resources… I'll need to check to see about Nowaki getting some time off from work- then there's me getting time off from work… so much to consider… and in only a few week's time…'

"Hiro-san, what would you like for dinner?" Nowaki poked his head back into the living room.

"Nowaki…" Kamijou trailed off as he turned to him and gawked as he was pounced.

"Hiro-san wants ME for dinner?! I'm so happy!"

"What?! NO!! GET OFF! I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK YOU A QUESTION, IDIOT!!" Kamijou struggled to push his lover off of him and Nowaki just nuzzled his neck, lovingly.

"What did Hiro-san want to ask me?" Nowaki asked, kissing Kamijou on the jaw and Kamijou somehow squirmed his way out of Nowaki's hold. "I was going to ask if you're working on the week of your birthday."

"I got my birthday off, but there's no way I could take off a whole week!"

"…Really?" Kamijou huffed, pouting slightly.

"Why?" Nowaki asked, eyes narrowing, suspiciously.

"I thought… the perfect gift would be to compose a seven-day list that you could come up with for things for us to… you know… do…"

Nowaki blinked, registering what his lover had told him before his face lit up like an eight year old boy who'd been promised a trip to Disney World. "Hiro-saaan!"

"Anyway, you work on the list, I'll make dinner. I wanted to try out a new recipe." Kamijou huffed, heading into the kitchen.

"Ah- a list! Yes! A list!" Nowaki grabbed their grocery list and turned it over, scribbling some things down.

"Don't forget to use the front when you go shopping tomorrow." Kamijou huffed, annoyed. "…You can also buy yourself some scratch paper if you need it-"

"A notebook!"

"NOT A NOTEBOOK! WHAT ALL COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT TO DO IN JUST A WEEK?!" Kamijou gawked.

"Do they make 500 page notebooks? Or lined printer paper, perhaps…" Nowaki wasn't paying attention; he was too busy scribbling down his first thoughts.

"UGH…" Kamijou watched, annoyed. 'He's putting too much passion into this fake gift… at least this is a good way to get him to take that week off, but… I guess if this plan falls through, I can always go through with his little list and call it my plan B…'

"Anything I want, right?" Hiro looked up, eyes sparkling.

"…You **know** there are limits! **ALWAYS LIMITS**!" Kamijou folded his arms, huffing. "…How does flounder with soy sauce sound? For dinner?"

"Sounds good, with rice, please!" Nowaki nodded.

"You didn't buy rice, it's on the list! We have to have ramen."

"Ramen is good, too!"

Kamijou headed into the kitchen, pulling the ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards. Sighing, he turned on the stove.

'I've been wondering what Nowaki would want for his birthday… I've been wondering for the past six years… it always gets me thinking… that… if Nowaki grew up as an orphan… the thing he must have wanted very most growing up would be a family, right…? All he has is me… we're not a normal couple… we're gay… can someone who grew up an orphan really be happy in a homosexual relationship with no promise of a real family…? Although he DOES keep on insisting on meeting my parents… over… and over… and over…'

His brows furrowed and he raised his finger to the middle of his brows, thinking of the woman on the magazine cover and trying not to make a wrinkly brow-face.

He brought his knife down into the flounder, thinking back on how good Nowaki was with those kids in the hospital…

His wrinkled brow vanished, and he smiled, warmly at the memory before frowning, sadly, wondering if Nowaki wanted children, and contemplating on how unfortunate it was that he probably never would…

"Hiro-san, you make so many different facial expressions in just one minute! What's wrong??"

Hiro gawked, accidently cutting himself with the knife. Just when _had _Nowaki materialized right beside him and just how long _had_ he been standing there, watching him, anyway??

"Guah-! Hiro-saaan!" Nowaki pointed at the blood streaming out of Kamijou's finger.

"Aaah-! Is that how a med student is supposed to react?!" Kamijou snapped.

"I was surprised!" Nowaki huffed.

"YOU were surprised?!" Kamijou snapped, scrambling about the kitchen to find a band-aid or paper towels, or something.

"Hiro-san! It's my fault! Hold still!"

"It's fine! I'm used to a simple cut! I don't need you to bandage it just because you're some med student, I'm still well-capable of handling a simple paper cut or nick from a knife!" Kamijou snapped, making his way to the bathroom and turning on the cold water.

"But, Hiro-san, warm water would be better-!"

"Quiet, you! I said leave me alone!" Kamijou picked up a bottle of triple-anti biotic ointment and squeezed it.

"But Hiro-san! That's-!"

"I said go away!"

"But-"

"GO AWAY!"

"That's toothpaste!"

"…"

"…"

Kamijou gawked down at the toothpaste he was smearing into his little cut.

"…Hiro-san! You never let me take proper care of you, you're so oppositional!" Nowaki huffed.

"Shut up! This wouldn't have happened had you not been distracting me!" Kamijou snapped, washing his wound under warm water, tears stinging in the corners of his eyes.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave you alone…" Nowaki huffed, storming out.

"Just go work on your list!" Kamijou called after him.

-..- . -..-

_ -Thursday 3A- _

"Kamijoooou-teeenteeeei…" Miyagi You whined as he crammed some last books into his trunk. "Are you sure you're going to bring my car back? I have this sneaking suspicion you just stole the entire library and that I'm like… aiding and abetting in a serious crime…" He struggled to close his trunk. "And that I'll never see you or my precious baby again." He hugged the side of his car.

Kamijou's brow twitched as he stuffed some books into the back. "These books were going to be thrown away! I can't let that happen! So I'll make sure they receive a good home."

"Are you keeping your place in this one?" Miyagi asked, noticing a list poking out of the side of one book. He pulled it out as Kamijou tried sitting on Miyagi's trunk to get it to close, crying out in a mix of fear and pain when the trunk popped open and he went flipping through the air, only to land perfectly on his feet, a little shocked, eyes twitching.

"Instead of calling him Kamijou the Devil, maybe we should call him Kamijou the cat…" One of Kamijou's students… Sumi Keiichiro, if he recalled correctly, had seen the display and was nudging his little brunette friend- that one Usami had once come over to keep an eye on…

Kamijou turned, eyes practically glowing red.

"Kuaa! Sumi-sempai, c'mon!!" Misaki grabbed Sumi by the sleeve and darted off.

Miyagi laughed at the display. "You're pretty good at gymnastics, Kamijou… I wonder why…" Miyagi smirked. "Maybe all that practice being flexible and agile in school libraries and in the bedroom…"

Kamijou turned his glowing red eyes to Miyagi, pointing at him. "You be quiet, too!" He somehow got the trunk to close before huffing. "…So, regarding this whole situation, what exactly do you want to do?"

Miyagi thought about it, glancing down at the list in his hands. "…Hmmm… take a bath with Hiro-san… kiss Hiro-san good morning…?"

Kamijou turned to him, flushing deeply. "How many times do I have to tell you not to hit on me and don't you ever call me tha- AAAAAAAH!!" His jaw dropped when he realized Miyagi was staring, very interestedly, at the list Nowaki had put together.

A wiiiiide grin spread across Miyagi's face and the list went straight up in Miyagi's left hand, his other coming to rest, quite roughly, on Kamijou's head, stopping him from jumping up to take it back.

"Professor- you bastard! Give me back that list!"

"It's mine."

"IT'S NOT!"

** BOOM!! **

The two blinked, before slowly turning to take notice in the fact that the trunk had exploded open and books were flying everywhere.

"Aaaaah!" A kid screamed, running. "Devil Kamijou is attacking students at random, now!"

"I'm not even in his class!" Another screamed.

"Book fiiiiight!" Another wailed.

"There he is, GET 'IM!" A somewhat familiar-sounding voice called and suddenly a book hit Kamijou dead in the face, knocking him flat on his back.

"Guah! Kamijou!" Miyagi gawked, stuffing the list in his pocket as he hurried to Kamijou's dying bedside.

"…Why do I throw them if it hurts so much…?" Kamijou mumbled, clutching his bruising face.

"Kamijou… your beautiful face… I'll seek vengeance." Miyagi promised, taking Kamijou's hands in one hand as he helped him to sit up slightly. "Oh, Kamijou… I knew him well…"

"What're you doing, you son of a-"

"Shhh…" Miyagi laid him down and pushed two fingers to Kamijou's eyelids, closing them. "Sleep, now."

"You bastard."

"Hey, that old guy is also in the Lit department! He's aiding the devil- get him, too!"

"Yeah!!"

Miyagi slowly gawked up as a horde of books came flying their way.

"Kamijou, you have to leave, now!" He picked Kamijou up, stuffed him in the front seat of his car, put the keys in the ignition and twisted, slammed the door closed and ran around to the other side of the car, picking up as many books as he could along the way and throwing them into the passenger's side, closing that door, too before leaning in through the window.

"Professor- what about you?!" Kamijou asked, blinking.

"The lives of these books are more important. Make sure they find a good home." Miyagi exclaimed, dramatically, even raising a clenched fist for emphasis.

"I'll never forget you." Kamijou played along, only for a moment, speaking in a monotonous and rather irritated tone. "Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

"Wait, you're seriously going to bring my car back tonight, though, right?"

"Sleep now." Kamijou smirked, reaching two fingers up to close Miyagi's eyes.

"Humpf!" Miyagi watched as Kamijou sped off.

He turned. "That's enough. He's gone, now pick up these books."

The students groaned and helped to pick up what they could.

-..- . -..-

Kamijou sighed as he dragged the last of the books into their home, collapsing on the floor. After he caught his breath from walking up a billion and a half flights of stairs, he wriggled his way across the floor and draped his arms lovingly around a small stack of his new books. "…Mmm… beautiful, so beautiful…"

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki let himself in, suddenly, blinking. "Why is that guy's car parked in our-"

"Nowaki…" Kamijou whined. "Make tea."

"….Eh?" Nowaki blinked, looking around, suspiciously for any sign of that cigarette-smoking bastard that his beloved Hiro-san worked with.

"I'm dying, Nowaki, get me some tea."

"Eh?!" Nowaki dropped all suspicions, dropping to his knees beside Kamijou and setting his water bottle down. "What's the matter, Hiro-san?"

"Sooo manyyy booooks…"

"Oh…" Nowaki noticed them all, suddenly. "…Hiro-san, you got some new books."

"Very observant. Tea, please."

"Did you lug all of these up here by yourself?" Nowaki flipped through one, curiously.

"Yes I did. Some tea?"

"Did you steal that car in front of the-"

"TEEEEEAAA!!"

"…Oh, right… I'll get you some tea." Nowaki stood.

"Water."

"Eh?"

"Just want water." Kamijou's hand reached out for the bottled water Nowaki had set on the ground. His fingers came just a few inches short of reaching it. "…Nnigh…"

"…" Nowaki reached out, picking up the bottle and uncapping it. "Hiro-san, you want the rest of my water? There's not much left, the last of it is probably just spit."

"I don't care."

"No?" Nowaki got a somewhat perverted idea as he put the bottle to his lips.

"NO!!" Kamijou whined, slapping Nowaki in the leg, annoyed. "Don't drink it right in front of me!"

Nowaki took it all into his mouth, cupped Kamijou's cheeks in his palms and fed him the water via mouth to mouth.

After Kamijou swallowed, he let his head thud against the floor. "Gugh… tea, please."

Nowaki, pleased, headed into the kitchen to prepare some tea. "What's with the books, Hiro-san?"

"They're from our school library- they're a bit outdated and thus were going to be recycled and or thrown away, so I took them."

"Did you have permission?" Nowaki came back with some cups of tea.

"Uh… subtly changing the subject; how was work?" Kamijou asked, taking his drink and downing it in one long gulp.

"…Um… subtly cha… tea… err- work! Yes! Work was good! Are there any medical books in this bunch?" He looked around.

"I had some medical ones set aside somewhere- nn… I think in our room."

"Thank you, Hiro-san!" Nowaki sparkled.

"Don't thank me for trash. Anyway, I'm going to use the internet and sell these!"

"…Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yes! I'm saving up for a trip!"

"A trip? To where?"

Kamijou gawked down at the floor, realizing he'd almost spilled the beans about his intended gift for Nowaki. "…A… trip to… the store! Oh, speaking of which, have you already gone shopping?"

"I was going to swing by Queen Kamaya's after work, but it was too far out of the way… and I realized I didn't have that list. Have you seen it?"

". . . Oh crap." Kamijou grumbled. "…That bastard took it…"

"What bastard?"

"…Err… the one who leant me his car… I need to return the car anyway… shoot, it'd be so much more convenient to drive there and do our shopping… I was even going to go to pick you up today- it's nice to have a car sometimes… but… you got home first."

"How long have you been bringing books in?" Nowaki blinked, picking up a stack that had toppled over.

"Just a couple hours… let me call him…" Kamijou reached for his phone, readying to dial Miyagi's number before he blinked, glancing up when he realized Nowaki was watching the screen like a cat. "…What're you doing?"

"Nothing."

"…" Kamijou's eyes narrowed.

"…"

"…"

The two were engaged in somewhat of a staring contest.

Finally, Nowaki blurted: "I don't like that you're always with that smoking guy… It's even worse that you WORK with him! You see him more than me!"

"…What about you, working with that sempai of yours?" Kamijou huffed, brow twitching. 1

"How is that similar to this?" Nowaki blinked, confused.

"If you claim that you have no feelings toward your sempai, then it's exactly the same." Kamijou huffed. "Your sempai is some guy showing you the ropes, right? Miyagi professor is simply my superior!"

"But Hiro-san came thiiiis close to kissing that guy the night we-"

"YOU SLEPT WITH HIM!" Kamijou interrupted Nowaki, referring to that bastard from the hospital.

"I fell asleep…"

"Go fall asleep NOW so I can call Professor Miyagi! He did me this huge favor by lending me this car!"

"Why? So you could transport some books? … I'm buying a car!"

"WHAT?!" Kamijou's eye twitched.

"It'll be my birthday gift to myself, that way you don't ever have to borrow anything from Cigarette-smoking man again!"

"Ciga- His name is-- YOU CAN'T JUST UP AND BUY A CAR!!"

"I want it!" Nowaki turned, huffing and folding his arms.

"If you want a car, I'll get you one for your birthday!"

"YOU can't afford a car!"

"Neither can you!" Kamijou snapped. "I could if I wanted to, my parents have offered to buy me one countless times, maybe I should take them up on the offer!"

"You wouldn't, because of your pride." Nowaki argued, annoyed before blinking. "…do you even have a license?"

"Err… anyway, we don't need a car! We get along just fine as we are!"

"Well I'm buying it!" Nowaki argued.

"_I'm_ buying it _for you!!_" Kamijou huffed.

"Don't buy me a car! I don't even really want a car! Stick to the list!" Nowaki huffed.

"If you don't want it, then don't buy it! This was a one-time thing anyway! When will I ever be lucky enough to come to owning so many books again??" Kamijou turned to a mountain of books, hugging it. "…They're miiine, all miiine…"

Nowaki glowered, jealously at the books. "They have to go, too!"

"WHAT?!"

"Book burning!" Nowaki snapped.

"Don't you ever say those two words in this house again!" Kamijou pointed at him, furiously.

"…Book…"

"FFffmm…" Kamijou inhaled, sharply, glowering.

"Bur-"

Suddenly Kamijou's cell went off, breaking the two out of their marital spat. They both stared at one another, a tad awkwardly for a moment, before they checked their phones, and Nowaki glanced, angrily at the name that showed up on Kamijou's.

Kamijou answered, annoyed. "Professor, I was just about to call you… yes, just fine, thanks again… Pick it up? Why would I make you walk all the way out here just to pick it up? Eh? I'm not lonely! How is that considered lonely?!"

Nowaki glowered.

"Rain?" Kamijou huffed, leaning against the wall. "It's not even raining outside, and I don't think he would want me going alone, anyway- he doesn't trust you. I don't blame him. You take advantage of high school boys."

At this, Nowaki gawked.

"He looks like a high school brat. Anyway, I'll drop it off… ramen noodles? …What do you mean half way here? I don't hear any cars…"

Kamijou huffed, hanging up.

"Did he hang up on you?" Nowaki blinked.

"He's going to come pick it up…" Kamijou huffed before thinking. "Too bad we haven't shopped yet; we could invite him in for dinner."

"Aaaah!!" Nowaki gawked, disturbed by the mere suggestion.

"That way YOU'D finally see we have no interest in each other." Kamijou huffed.

"INVITING HIM TO DINNER IS INDICATIVE OF BEING INTERESTED NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT, NOT TO MENTION IT MEANS YOU HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP!!" Nowaki bellowed.

"We're co-workers! Co-workers can spend time with one another outside of work." Kamijou snapped, grabbing a business book and opening it. "As is explained in this random chapter I turned to in this random book, it will strengthen our teamwork skills!"

"…I want to strengthen my teamwork skills... maybe I should invite Sempai over to dinner…" Nowaki considered this. "As an apology for when you decked him…"

"No." Kamijou snapped. "Professor Miyagi may be a creepy, flirtatious, disorganized, messy man, but he didn't hit on me to piss you off on purpose like that bastard did. That guy's a manipulative bastard."

"…Doesn't that… professor Miyagi guy… make you do all his work for him so he won't tell on you for the mess we made in the library?"

"Err…"

"Isn't that manipulation?"

"Well, he's got nothing on me now that he's dating that 18 year old kid-"

"Oh, the high scholar you mentioned is 18? You gave me the impression he was like 16 or something…" Nowaki let out a sigh of relief.

"Eighteen is still 17 years younger than Professor Miyagi… he's 35."

"So? Age doesn't matter… does it, Hiro-san?"

"Yeah… at that point." Kamijou huffed, sitting down against the couch and sipping at the tea Nowaki had brought him. He grabbed a random book, smiling at it in all its glory…

"…Where do you draw the line?" Nowaki inquired, suddenly.

Kamijou sweat dropped. Nowaki looked like he might start bawling if Kamijou said: "Four!" Ah, that would be cruel, anyway…

"I dunno… fifteen…" Kamijou threw out a random number.

"Fifteen is too many." Nowaki seemed satisfied with this answer and headed off.

"…Maybe we should invite them both to dinner…" Kamijou contemplated. "As thanks for lending us the car."

"We have no groceries because he has my list… why does he have my list?" Nowaki asked.

"Uuumm…" Kamijou thought up a lie. "…I was using it as a bookmark…" Crap, that wasn't a lie- that was the truth! "And then he noticed it…" Crap! Crap! Crap! That's not a lie!

"…" Nowaki nodded, slowly.

"… Then… a… dinosaur…"

Nowaki arched a brow.

"No… wait… a ninja…" Kamijou trailed off yet again.

"…" Nowaki stared, confused.

"…Oh! The trunk exploded… then- oh! I got hit in the face with a book!"

"Huh?" Nowaki went beady eyed.

"A kid hit me in the face with a book!" Kamijou exclaimed.

"…Why?" Nowaki blinked, snapping out of his stupor.

"And you know what… getting hit with books hurts…" Kamijou raised a hand to his face at the memory.

"Yes, I know… I think anyone who's ever met you knows this fact." Nowaki rubbed the back of his head at the memories. All those books… all those bumps… "…Anyway, how'd he get the list?"

"He took it, okay?! He thought it was funny, he was teasing me, and he took it!" Kamijou admitted, annoyed. "…But at least HE didn't hit me with a book in the face… I never aim for the face… does it hurt to get hit in the arm, I wonder?"

"Yes… it does… a lot… Hiro-san, why did you hide that from me?"

"Because you already don't like him." Kamijou huffed.

"He could donate all his money to orphan children and I still wouldn't like him." Nowaki shrugged, turning and picking up some of the books to relocate. They had a book room, after all…

'Donate all his money to orphan children?' Kamijou thought, 'That gives me another idea for a birthday present for Nowaki! That orphanage he donates to- I should donate all these books to that orphanage!!'

"…Hiro-san, your smiling face is so cute- but what did I say that made you so happy? Do you like it when I'm jealous?" Nowaki asked, smiling that blatantly stupid smile that always seemed to piss Kamijou off, but secretly made him happy…

"NOT AT ALL, YOU MORON! Jealousy is the ugliest face! It makes you turn green, now go away!" He stormed off into another room, slamming the door.

". . . Aren't we supposed to be working on our communication skills?" Nowaki sighed, scratching the back of his head."…I think Hiro-san's jealous face is the cutest…"

-..- . -..-

**AN:** That's it for chapter 2. Now Hiroki has 3 options to choose from. He can find a way to make Nowaki's trip to Niagara Falls happen, he can do the stuff on the list, or he can donate all of those books he got to that orphanage… though… what would orphans want with a bunch of college level books?? Next chapter is Junjou Terrorist, in which a certain 18-year old happens to find a list of loving and naughty things to do with Hiro-san in Miyagi's pocket… he wouldn't jump to the wrong conclusions, though… or would he?

**Extra:** The next chapter takes place at the same point in which Kamijou drives off in this chapter, so if you want to switch between this chapter to the next, it might make reading the next chapter slightly less confusing (just as far as the phone conversation goes, some sneezing, and regarding a certain book-to-the-face, lol, you might not even need to- it's up to you.)

**Extra Extra: **Egoist chapter will also pick up in the next chapter, which is Terrorist and Egoist combined in the later half.

**End notes:**

**1: **_**"…What about you, working with that sempai of yours?" Kamijou huffed, brow twitching.**_

I've been asked, before, who this is referring to; in Volume 8, Kamijou comes home to find Nowaki sleeping almost naked with a guy he works with on the floor of their apartment… his first thought is that Nowaki cheated, but Nowaki assures him that nothing happened. Later in that act, Kamijou is bringing Nowaki some stuff to the hospital, (a change of clothes and a fax he'd received) and the guy spots him and teases him by hitting on Nowaki while he's playing with a bunch of kids… Kamijou decks the guy out of jealousy and then embarrassedly runs off, lol.

**Chapter 3 Summary:** Combination of Egoist and Terrorist Couples: Shinobu finds the list of things to do for Kamijou's birthday and jumps to conclusions, seeing as it had been in Miyagi's pocket. The Egoist and Terrorist couples have dinner together…?? WTH?

**Chapter 4 summary: **Back to Romantica! (Continuation of this chapter!) The true creator of these past few nights' worth of messes is revealed, and about a week later, an even more startling revelation is made: Just what _was _Professor Kamijou Hiroki's relationship with Misaki's lover-?!

Read and find out, Chapters 1-5 are currently posted.


	3. Terror: Jealousy Smells Like Burnt Ramen

**AN: **As promised, this chapter has a little bit of smut in it- but not much… both Egoist and Terrorist come together in this chapter.

**Warnings:** Yaoi, jealous 18-year old uke, burnt ramen, and inappropriate things done while driving- woot-woot! **… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol. 10)**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Chapter Summary: **Shinbou finds Nowaki's list of things to do for his birthday, which, of course, all center around his beloved Hiro-san, but since Shinobu finds it on Miyagi's person, he jumps the gun and assumes he's been fooling around with Hiroki… As you probably already suspect, he embarrasses himself.

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 3: Terrorist: Jealousy smells like burnt ramen**

-..- . -..-

-Thursday 3B-

Miyagi put the last of the books he'd picked up into his bag and sighed, scratching the back of his head. He really wasn't positive as to which way to go to get to the bus station to where he could (hopefully) find his way home…

He considered calling Shinobu, who would surely know the way home, since his high school was nearby, but he decided to wing it. He'd gotten off early anyway; an extra couple of miles wouldn't kill him.

When he arrived at home (two hours later), he passed some people who were running away from his apartment complex, screaming something about a terrible smell and black smoke.

'I have this sneaking suspicion…' He broke into a sprint, hurrying up the stairs and toward his apartment. Half-hoping it was SHINOBU'S apartment next door that the bastard had decided to cook in and not his own, he rounded the final corner and was immediately greeted by a heavy, black smog.

"…Shinobuuuu!" He called into the blackness, hoping the crappy chef was okay.

"Yes??" Shinobu exited his own apartment and folded his hands behind his back. "…Oh, there's black smoke coming out of your-"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB! WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO COOK?!"

". . . I forgot to put the water in the instant ramen-"

"INSTANT?! INSTANT RAMEN?! HOW DO YOU FUCK UP INSTANT RAMEN?!" Miyagi wailed, furiously.

Shinobu winced at the harsh tone Miyagi had used before trying out his googly eyes.

"No!" Miyagi stormed into his apartment, grabbed the object from inside of his (now broken) microwave and hurriedly dumped it in a trash bag, tied it, and hurried back out, setting it outside the apartment. "And you just left it there?!"

"If it's any consolation, I'm absolutely fine." Shinobu informed his lover in that ever-monotonous tone.

". . ." Miyagi's brow twitched. "Well, I WAS relieved, if only for that reason… uuugh, it stinks."

"If it's another consolation, you don't have to worry about smoking inside damaging the ceiling anymore."

"**It. is. not.**" Miyagi huffed, picking up the suitcase he'd dropped before, in his rush to the kitchen. He shoved it into Shinobu's hold. "Stay here a minute, I'm going to open the windows."

"I already did, it's not helping… I was going to turn on the ceiling fan, but I almost passed out, so I retreated to my apartment so I could breathe." Shinobu admitted.

"Of all the days not to have a car…" Miyagi muttered, heading back inside.

"What're you doing?" Shinobu asked, tugging at the back of his shirt.

"Well, I have to turn on the ceiling fan to get the air circulating!" Miyagi snapped, annoyed.

"…Can you please turn off the stove while you're in there?"

Miyagi's jaw dropped. "YOU LEFT THE STOVE ON, TOO?!"

"I'm not sure- can you check?"

Miyagi turned to dash into his apartment, but Shinobu caught him by the pocket.

"Wait!"

"WHAT, NOW?! DID YOU LEAVE THE OVEN ON, TOO?!"

"…Well, I'd planned a romantic dinner and bath together-"

"THE BATH?!" Miyagi tore away and into his apartment, frantically.

Shinobu blinked down at the list in his hand, curiously. "…Spinach, onions, salmon, rice, apples…?? Where's the cabbage??" He tucked it into his own pocket. He'd shop for Miyagi to make up for the… _everything_ that he may have destroyed today…

Miyagi came back, panting and teary eyed, clinging to the doorframe for support.

"…A panting, teary-eyed seme is no seme at all…" Shinobu nudged him in a vain attempt at making light of the situation.

"…I have to go pick up my car from Kamijou's place…" Miyagi muttered.

"Eh? If he has the car, let him drive it here."

"Then he'd have to walk home." Miyagi argued.

"That doesn't affect me." Shinobu huffed. "He could use the walk anyway, he's like a whale! You shouldn't have lent your car to him in the first place, carrying all those books home would help him slim down a tad."

"…Are we talking about the same person?" Miyagi blinked. "…Kamijou isn't fa- HEY! HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE BOOKS?!"

"Ah…" Shinobu clamped a hand over his mouth, nervously. 'Oh crap…'

"Wait a minuuuute! YOU WERE THAT FIRST KID TO THROW A BOOK AT HIS FACE, WEREN'T YOU?!"

"…No."

"Liar! I recognized your voice! How the hell did YOU get home so fast?!"

"…I took the subway…"

". . . If you were there, why didn't we go home together?!"

"I didn't want you to find out… anyway, I can't stand this smell anymore! Let's go to my apartment…"

"I'm staying the night- it'll take at least a day's worth of airing out to get that smell out of there." Miyagi snapped. "…You didn't plan THAT, did you, you little terrorist?"

"No… what I'd planned was a romantic evening together… and now you're just mad at me." Shinobu looked at the floor, ashamed.

"Yeah…"

"Even though I was only… trying my best… because I love you…" Shinobu looked up, eyes watering and face flushed.

"Ugh…" Miyagi's eye twitched as he found himself becoming less angry at that face.

"Now that I'm forgiven, let's get you changed! I finished cleaning that suit you wore that day you spent the night at my place, so you can change into that so you don't smell like… this… or would you prefer to save it for tomorrow, since you have work?" Shinobu inquired, tugging at Miyagi's belt and dragging him into his apartment.

-..- . -..-

"Mmm…" Miyagi scratched the back of his head after having changed clothes. "It was lucky you still had some of my clothes… but you promise that wasn't planned, too?"

"Nope, it wasn't." Shinobu reassured him, stretching. "I'll be going with you to Devil or Demon or whatever Kamijou's house."

"…No, you just pick us up something to eat. We'll split at the store, you can shop a little, and I'll pick you up on the way back, how 'bout?" Miyagi huffed. The last thing he needed was an uke-fight.

He wasn't quite sure who would win in an actual physical fight between Kamijou or Shinobu… he'd been on the receiving side of each of their physical wrath on more than one occasion and he himself found it hard to differentiate when it came to pain, but if he recalled correctly, Shinobu was capable of throwing quite the punch… then again, if there were books in the vicinity, that would definitely be advantageous for Kamijou… and even though Shinobu was just a kid, he wasn't so sure someone like Kamijou would hold back, especially after that time the good professor had let it slip that he had suspected Shinobu of merely _feigning _interest in literature… that was sort of Kamijou's weak spot… well, one of them anyway…

"If you're trying to keep me from finding out about where that office-skank of yours lives, I already know!" Shinobu snapped, suddenly, breaking him from his thoughts before he could venture off into wondering why so many ukes beat him up on a daily basis… he _was_a seme, wasn't he? Oh well…

"That's impossible." Miyagi snapped. "He's moved like three times since I've known him."

"Twice."

"GUAH-?!"

"So nice try- just take me with you." Shinobu huffed.

"…Are you stalking Kamijou?!" Miyagi gawked.

"Of course not! Why would I stalk him? I only know since I looked up his records through my dad… I have access to pretty much anything I want access to, I even know your blood type through these resources… you _know_, I_ could_ always have him _**fired**_." Shinobu noted, thoughtfully. "…Then I wouldn't have to worry about the two of you doing things behind my back… there must be someone else who's just as qualified for the position, right?"

"That would only prove your immaturity, besides, if he got fired due to your jealousy, what's to stop him from snitching on the two of us? Do you really think your father wouldn't hesitate to fire me if he found out I was boning his son?" Miyagi inquired.

"…Wow…"

"Didn't think of it like that, did you?" Miyagi snapped. "Besides, there's no one more qualified than Kamijou-"

"No… it seems more taboo the way you put it… our relationship is so sexy-!" Shinobu stared off into space, blushing, eyes glazed over slightly.

"Oh my God…" Miyagi slapped his palm against his own forehead in frustration.

"We should totally do it on my dad's desk-!" Shinobu smirked, teasingly.

"THAT'S ENOUGH FANTASIZING FOR YOU!" Miyagi snapped, taking out a packet of cigarettes.

"Alright, let's go to his house," Shinobu stretched, annoyed, "The address is-"

"YOU have to replace the food you destroyed- and pick up a microwave, too! I'm calling professor Kamijou right now so he knows I'm on my way." Miyagi whipped out his cell and Shinobu glowered the entire time. After dialing his number, Miyagi sat down, pausing as it rang.

Shinobu practically pressed his ear to the phone, listening in. Miyagi huffed, pushing his head away before blinking when he heard a reply on the other end.

"…Then I guess that means I win- did you get everything taken care of okay?" Miyagi seemed to cut right into the conversation.

Shinobu arched a brow. Not a typical: Hello, but maybe these two were comfortable with one another… _**too**__ comfortable…_He glared harder at the phone, as if it became Kamijou the devil when he was speaking through it.

" … No problem, hey, about that, don't bother bringing it by, I'm going to just go ahead and

come pick it up, okay? … If I don't, you'd end up driving it over here and then walking home, which is far more lonely… It's just lonely having completed a mission, then walking all the way back home, it's sad. I don't want to think about poor Kamijou walking home in the rain and aside from that, your lover would be so upset with me! …WHAT?! YOU BASTARD! HERE I WAS TRYING TO BE NICE AND YOU HAD TO GO AND SLING MUD! HE IS NOT A HIGH SCHOOLER! HE'S IN COLLEGE! Almost … NO! I'm already on my way to pick it up- I need to give my apartment some time to air out, it smells like burnt ramen noodles… besides, I'm halfway there…"

"…" Shinobu glared.

"…Beeeeep, beeeep!" Miyagi made the sound of a car horn then promptly hung up. Shinobu's eye twitched.

"WHAT was THAT?!" Shinobu inquired.

"Typical conversation." Miyagi replied as he got his things together.

"…Beep beep?"

"He said he didn't hear any cars… anyway, I told him I was half way there already, so let's go."

-..- . -..-

Shinobu opened the door to the store, sighing. "We can shop afterward… together…"

"Out of the question. You'd make a scene in front of Kamijou—like you always do—and then his scary husband would beat the crap out of me… It's dangerous territory, I don't want to endanger your life."

"Scary husband?" Shinobu blinked before huffing. "You mean he's in a RELATIONSHIP?!"

"Yep, they're practically married- been together for about six years from what I've heard…"

Shinobu's eyes shone, suddenly, like stars. "Six years… so it is possible to stay in a loving relationship forever!"

"SIX YEARS IS NOT FOREVER! THAT YOU THINK SO ONLY PROVES YOU'RE A KID!"

"But wait…" Shinobu frowned, glaring, suddenly. "It's not a loving relationship if that Kamijou person is fooling around on the side! His poor husband **must** know!"

"Get inside the store. I want to see you pick up a basket and head down the produce section." Miyagi pointed, furiously.

"He must know that Kamijou the dreadful or whatever has been putting the moves on another man!"

"I'm that other man? He'd kill me! BOTH of them would! Now GET!!"

"Alright… hey, don't forget me…" Shinobu huffed, turning and grabbing a cart, struggling to get it out before choosing a different one and kicking the one he couldn't get loose on his way inside the market.

"…" Miyagi watched him, annoyed before opening the door. "And don't forget! If I call you and I don't hear sales announcements being made in the background, you're in big trouble!"

"How much more trouble can I possibly get in? I practically lit a stink bomb in your apartment…" Shinobu muttered to himself, swinging by the cabbage.

Miyagi huffed, turning and heading off toward Kamijou's.

Shinobu watched, jealously before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the list. "Okay, so… spinach, onions…" He trailed off, turning back toward the onions.

-..- . -..-

Miyagi knocked on the door when he finally arrived at Kamijou and Kusama's, swinging the books he had in a bag in one hand and holding the crappy directions Kamijou had given him in the other.

"Yes?" Nowaki answered the door.

"Ah-!" Miyagi had hoped (and secretly prayed) that Kamijou would be the one to answer. "…H-hello, um… Nowaki…?"

"Kusama." Nowaki said with zero emotion in his tone.

"Kusama! That's right. Hello, Kusama-_sensei_," he aimed for playfulness, "How are you this lovely evening?"

"Hiro-san is going to the bathroom."

"…That's nice… I wanted to chat with him a minute before I took off, though, mind if I step inside?" Miyagi shuffled his feet a little, nervously.

"…" Nowaki would probably be very good at poker…

After a moment, Nowaki opened the door wider, gesturing for Miyagi to come in.

"I've heard a lot about you… you really do keep this place much tidier than Kamijou would…" Miyagi looked around, smiling.

"We have a room for his books, now." Nowaki explained. "Before, they'd be piled up. Did you really hear a lot about me from Hiro-san??"

"Ah- well… whenever I can force it out of him, anyway- and sometimes he talks to me- we're good friends, I guess you could say… How did it go with meeting his parents?"

Nowaki's face lit up like a thousand stars, and for a moment, Miyagi felt he looked even more boyish than Shinobu. "He mentioned that?!"

"Ah… briefly… he just mentioned that it was a big step- he seemed excited and nervous at the same time…"

"…" Nowaki looked like he was dreaming for a moment, and Miyagi watched him, amused.

'This guy might end up being just as much fun to mess with as Kamijou… though I think I'm more afraid of this guy's fists than Kamijou's books… what a violent couple…' Miyagi thought.

"Anyway, back to the books… At work… Kamijou needs his own library, I think… oh, I suppose he has it, now…" he gestures to a small pile of books that Kamijou had yet to move into the 'book room.'

"Looks like you're adding to them…" Nowaki snapped out of it and gestured to the bag in Miyagi's hand.

"Ah-! Yes, these were some of the books the students were throwing at him… I managed to save them… the books… that is… aheheheh…" Miyagi scratched the back of his head, a little nervously.

"I heard about that. Can you imagine? Students throwing books at teachers!"

". . . Personally, I think teachers throwing books at students is a little worse…"

"Quiet, professor!" Kamijou entered, suddenly, drying off his hands, annoyed. "I don't throw books at my students. Just chalk, sometimes… I'm getting better about that- now then, your keys." He held them out. "And thank you very much for lending it to me… if there's anything I can-"

"Tea!" Nowaki exclaimed, suddenly. "Have tea!"

"…Uh… I have to pick someone up…" Miyagi blinked.

"Who? That high school kid?" Kamijou asked, annoyed at the mere thought of the constantly-glowering teenager. "You should give him your furrowed-brow-turning-into-wrinkles scolding."

"He only looks like that when you're around… when you're not, he makes the cutest faces!" Miyagi calmed a little now that Kamijou had broken the awkward tension that had been in the room when it was only Miyagi and Nowaki.

"Hiro-san makes cute faces, too!" Nowaki stated out of the blue.

"Sometiiiii…" Miyagi trailed off when Nowaki glared with him. 'It was a TRAP!' "Ah- Err… actually, tea sounds nice…"

"Be right back…" Nowaki headed into the kitchen. He returned a moment later, grabbed Kamijou, and headed back into the kitchen. "You make yourself comfortable!" He called to Miyagi, who just continued standing there, awkwardly.

-..- . -..-

"That's all of the groceries!" Shinobu paid for them, smiling before raising the list. "…Ah crap, did I forget the back side? Let's see… take a bath with Hiro-san… kiss Hiro-san good…" He trailed off before the list crumpled in his hands.

The air around him practically burst into flames. He grabbed the receipt from the cashier, grabbed his bags, and broke into a sprint.

-..- . -..-

An awkward silence rounded the coffee table in Kamijou Hiroki and Kusama Nowaki's apartment as they sat with Miyagi You, sipping tea.

"So uh… we lost our shopping list, so we haven't shopped, otherwise we'd uh… invite you to eat dinner with us- we'll probably be going out to eat, or maybe we'll scrounge, since we both work tomorrow…" Kamijou struggled to make light conversation.

"Yeah?" Miyagi smiled, nervously. "That's okay… I'll probably go out tonight, too… I can't go back to my place."

"Why not?" Nowaki asked.

"Well… um… see… that's sort of hard to explain… I guess you could say… there was this… cooking accident."

"Ah yeah- you said something about ramen over the phone…" Kamijou blinked.

"Was it that high school aged boyfriend of yours who can't cook, whose bento boxes always smell rotten and gross?" Nowaki asked and Kamijou stomped hard on his foot. "Oww!"

"Um… so…" Miyagi tried to change the subject. "I managed to work it out to where you get that week off that you had requested, Kamijou."

Kamijou looked up, excitedly. "You did?! Why didn't you tell me all day?!"

"Well, I was going to surprise you… but I figured that might change the mood, so I thought I'd just throw it out there…" Miyagi took a sip.

"…" Apparently not. Still awkward silence.

"W-well, thank you… err… Nowaki… isn't this great? Err… Professor, the reason I wanted it off was because it's Nowaki's birthday."

"Yes, thank you." Nowaki mumbled, sipping his tea.

"…I thought you said you needed it off to visit your dying grandmother?" Miyagi blinked and Nowaki choked on his tea and started coughing.

"…" Kamijou fell silent for a moment before patting Nowaki's back.

The three jumped, startled, when a loud banging suddenly sounded at the front door.

"What the hell…?" Kamijou headed over and Miyagi groaned, sinking in his seat as Nowaki cleared his throat, recovering from his near-death experience.

"Hey, you wanna break my door-?! Oh, it's you…" Kamijou noticed Shinobu after having thrown the door open in fury. The boy was panting, equally if not even more furious.

"Shinobu, what part of WAIT do you not understand?" Miyagi snapped, heading over. Nowaki followed, interested.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Shinobu snapped, holding the list out for the others to see.

"Ah!" Nowaki brightened, taking it. "My shopping list- and my birthday wish list! I was wondering where it had gone to…"

All was silent for nearly ten whole seconds as the adults watched everything register in Shinobu's seemingly tiny teenage mind.

"…Wait… that… was… _you_ wrote that…?" Shinobu fell silent, face turning redder by the second. Miyagi smirked as Kamijou stared at the teen as though he were a complete idiot, though he was also reddening at the fact that yet another person had seen that embarrassing list…

"Can't you tell? It's a doctor's handwriting…" Kamijou snapped. "Awful."

"It's good…" Nowaki pouted, putting the list in his pocket.

"…In that case… these are for you!!" Shinobu shoved the bags of groceries into Nowaki's hold, suddenly. "I'm just going to go crawl in a hole somewhere and die…"

"Well! Now that there's plenty to eat, let's have dinner, shall we?" Nowaki smiled, reaching out and placing a hand on Shinobu's head.

"…Eh?" The other three stared.

-..- . -..-

"Itadakimasu…" The four dug into the delicious meal Nowaki had prepared with a liiiiiittle help from Shinobu, who he had taken it upon himself to teach.

"Do people say 'itadakimasu' in Australia?" Nowaki asked as he cut up his own meat.

"Ah- no…" Shinobu mumbled. "Not really, but some of the people I ate with would pray before they ate…"

"Really? They were religious?" Nowaki blinked.

"Some of them… What about America? Did they pray?" Shinobu asked, flipping his chopsticks around, artfully before picking up some meat and putting it in his mouth. He had a LOOOT of overcompensating to do if he were to redeem himself in the eyes of these fellow homo-homos.

"Nope, they just dig right in… at least my study group did…" Nowaki laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "That might be circumstance, though… we ate rarely and so when my study group DID eat, we would wolf it all down so we could get right back to studying… becoming a doctor is great for your diet if you're not the type who eats for comfort. Did you have any study groups in Australia?"

"No… no matter what country I go to, the other students are always slower than me, so I prefer to study by myself…" Shinobu replied.

"Did you see any kangaroos?" Kamijou asked as he nipped at something made with cabbage he'd never seen before… well, maybe once in one of Miyagi Professor's bento boxes… of death.

"I had to, because I knew I'd get asked." Shinobu explained, shuddering at the memory.

"Did you see the babies go into the pouch on the mother's stomach?!" Nowaki asked, excitedly.

"I saw one come out… it's not as cute as you'd think, and I think it's not appropriate dinner-table conversation…" Shinobu admitted.

"Hey, professor, would you like something to drink?" Kamijou offered, suddenly, holding a bottle of wine.

"I do!" Shinobu raised his hand.

"LIKE HELL I'M GIVING ALCOHOL TO A MINOR! YOU BE DESIGNATED DRIVER!" Kamijou snapped.

"Hmpf." Shinobu huffed, glowering at him.

"I thought you said you didn't drink because of too many bad experiences?" Miyagi blinked. "You wouldn't even drink when you got your job!"

"I didn't say I'd have any." Kamijou huffed, pouring some for Nowaki. "We DO have to work tomorrow, after all…"

"Hiro-san, if professor Miyagi isn't going to drink, let Takatsuki-kun have some, a little won't hurt." Nowaki suggested, gesturing to Shinobu.

"What kind of doctor's orders are those?" Miyagi teased.

"My kind! Fill 'er up." Shinobu held out a glass.

"We should get together more often." Nowaki smiled. "Hiro-san and I have never met another gay couple before."

"Eh? We're not homos…" Miyagi blinked and Shinobu glared.

"Then what are we?!"

"…Lovers."

"Uah…"

Nowaki laughed softly as Shinobu turned red with embarrassment and/or happiness.

Kamijou huffed, averting his gaze in irritation.

"And you?" Shinobu asked, excitedly. "Are you guys really married?!"

"GUAH!" Miyagi covered Shinobu's mouth, annoyed. "I WAS EXAGGERATING, IDIOT!"

"Married?" Kamijou glared at Miyagi. "What else have you 'exaggerated' about??"

"…A lot of things… Have you SEEN my resume? I was a pizza deliverer before this job."

"…" Everyone fell silent.

"Professor, your jokes suck. Maybe you should drink… or maybe I should drink, until they're funny…" Kamijou muttered.

"Maybe you should, and lighten up a little." Miyagi huffed.

"Yes, Hiro-san! Drink! Drink!" Nowaki encouraged him.

"Uuuuh… I think someone's doing enough drinking for all of us…" Kamijou stated, turning everyone's attention to Shinobu, who was finishing off his second glass of wine.

"AAAH! HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF PACING YOURSELF?! You'll surely get sick at this rate!!" Nowaki exclaimed, feeling instantly responsible.

"Trust me, this guy has no idea what 'pace yourself' even means." Miyagi huffed, but slid Shinobu's glass away nonetheless.

"I like red wine!" Shinobu stared, blushing drunkenly.

"That's apparent." Kamijou huffed. "I'm going to go get a bowl, just in case you throw up everywhere."

"Can you please bring some more water, too? That might help." Miyagi called.

"Sure, sure…" Kamijou headed into the kitchen.

Miyagi and Nowaki waited a moment after Kamijou disappeared before they both went to spike Kamijou's drink.

"Oh-ho-ho…" Shinobu giggled, madly. "That's funny- this is gonna be gooood…"

"We could just squeeze Shinobu into a cup; that should work." Miyagi huffed.

"Noooo…" Shinobu rested his chin on the table.

"What a light-weight…" Miyagi huffed as he and Nowaki sat straight up when Kamijou returned.

"Alright, some ice water… and a bowl…" Kamijou set the bowl on the ground. "If you feel sick, please use the bowl, okay?"

"I'm not that drunk." Shinobu huffed. "In fact, I could still sing my alphabet backward! Wanna hear?"

"…Alphabet? The English alphabet? No…" Kamijou replied.

"Ah, in America, when you get pulled over for drinking and driving, they make you sing the English Alphabet backward, that's what he's referring to." Nowaki explained.

"…And just how would you know?" Miyagi smirked.

"…Watching TV." Nowaki took a drink, quickly.

Kamijou went for his cup, nonchalantly. "Professor, is there anything you can think of as of now that I can do to repay you for lending me your car?"

"Unless you know how to get the stink of ramen out of my apartment, there's nothing I can think of right now…" Miyagi huffed.

"I'm sooorry, okaaaay?" Shinobu huffed. "Geez, can't you let something like that go? It's all in the past, anyway. You know what your problem is, Miyagi? You cling to the past, too much… hic…"

"It was less than three hours ago!" Miyagi snapped.

"Ah, forgot to put the water with the ramen? I've done that." Nowaki admitted.

"How do you mess up instant ramen?!" Kamijou and Miyagi snapped in unison.

"…Studying too hard, not sleeping enough… that sort of thing…" Nowaki shrugged.

"Ah… at least you have a legitimate excuse." Miyagi huffed. "Unlike_ some_ people. Kamijou, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Out back's good." Kamijou muttered, hoping he wasn't in trouble for lying about his nonexistent ill grandmother.

"Be back soon." Nowaki huffed, trying his best not to let his uncontrollable jealousy get to him.

"…You don't like it when they're alone together, either, huh?" Shinobu muttered, resting his cheek on the table.

"Hmm?" Nowaki looked at him, blinking. "Excuse me?"

"…It bothers me, too… whenever I go to see him at work, they're always fooling around… Miyagi says it's just bad timing… but every time?! Come on…"

"…What exactly do you mean… fooling around??" Nowaki asked, nervously.

"One on top o'the other… the other on top o'the other… y'know… foolin' around… I don't see it as much anymore, but… I still don't like it!"

"…Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Nowaki asked, getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach… He, too, had walked in on the two at that time...

"I dunno…" Shinobu slurred, looking up at Nowaki. "…Does your… Hiro-san or whatever… would he cheat, you think?"

"…" Nowaki shook his head, vigorously. "No!"

"…Mmm… I don't know… I think if it's one or the other… Miyagi's kind of… touchy-feely… except with me… He'll put his hands all over Kamijou-the-devil or whatever, but I have to instigate half the time if I want to be touched…"

"…" Nowaki nodded, sympathetically. "…Well, sometimes you have to- did you say he puts his hands all over Hiro-san??"

"He says he hasn't touched him inappropriately except once, I guess you took care of that… but even though he says it… I've seen it with my own eyes! I don't know what to believe… can I have some more??" He held his glass out.

"…Aww…" Nowaki patted him on the head, gently. "…No."

"Aww…" Shinobu whimpered, lowering the glass. "What's Kamijou-the-demon have that I don't?"

"…Well, if you want him to love you- try being cute…?" Nowaki suggested. "Like Hiro-san!"

". . ." Shinobu slowly glanced at Kamijou, who was talking with Miyagi out back, he could see through the window. "…What exactly is cute about him?"

"…Um, well… everything… he… has a really good heart, and he… he's really smart! And he… he loves books… ah- or, you could appeal to him physically… but… don't you think he's a little bit old for you?" Nowaki asked, after considering everything.

"No…" Shinobu blinked. "Men in their thirties are the most attractive and distinguished… besides, fate brought Miyagi and me together! It wouldn't matter if he were younger, or a girl, or even a tree! I'd love him!"

"A tree…? So you think it's Fate?"

"Yes!" Shinobu exclaimed. "I love Miyagi! And Miyagi loves me… and I love red wine… more?"

"No." Nowaki's brows furrowed slightly in annoyance as he held it away. "Anyway, things are going to get better, don't worry." He patted Shinobu on the head, with a smile.

"…Thanks… So! Six years is a long time…" Shinobu smiled up at Nowaki. "…One thing I hated about Australia, was… just like here, men can't get married to one another, but… there're some places where they can… you've already been together with that Kamijou devil guy for six years… what do you think about marrying him?"

"…" Nowaki smiled, very warmly at that thought and Shinobu brightened at Nowaki's smile.

"Well… to be honest… I really want to go to Ontario in Canada, and see the Niagara Falls…"

"Yeah…?" Shinobu sat up, excitedly.

"…And propose to and marry Hiro-san…!!" Nowaki admitted, as though this were the first time he was ever voicing his deepest, most treasured secret fantasy.

"Yeah?!" Shinobu gasped, happily.

"…But…" Nowaki's head dropped, instantly, snapping both of them out of the little fantasy. "…I can't… I don't know how Hiro-san would…" He trailed off and Shinobu's brows furrowed.

"Kusama-san, you have to do what your heart tells you, it's surely fate that you met Kamijou Hiroki, right?!"

"…Fate??" Nowaki blinked, looking up at this.

"So if you love each other with all your heart, then you should do what your heart yearns for, right?!"

"…?" Nowaki blinked at the boy's enthusiasm before laughing, softly, ruffling his hair, yet again. "Thank you for that."

"Nowaki." Kamijou glowered when he entered. "Just what're you doing?!"

"…Making friends?" Nowaki pulled his hand away, quickly. "Hiro-san, what did you two talk about?"

"Work… There was a specific person I'm waiting to hear back from and I wanted to make sure that if they make any attempt to contact me during the week of my absence that professor Miyagi would be aware and properly prepared to handle the issue for me… he wanted to talk about the repercussions with regards to making up stories about ill grandmothers…"

"And we both made up a quick goal chart for finally cleaning our office this summer… " Miyagi added as he sat next to Shinobu.

"Oh…" Nowaki blinked, nodding, slowly. "…You had to talk about it alone?"

"Yes." Kamijou staggered back to his seat and plopped down, annoyed.

"Well, the two of us should probably get going… we still have some shopping we need to take care of before we head home." Miyagi stretched before standing, smiling. "Thanks a lot for dinner, it was very good… err, thanks to you, too, I guess, Shinobu, since… I guess… technically, you helped…"

"He did a very good job!" Nowaki chimed, smiling.

"You mean that awful cabbage stuff?" Kamijou slurred and Nowaki covered his mouth, laughing, nervously.

"Aheheheh, it's true what Usami-san says about you being loose-lipped when drunk, hah?"

"So you guys spiked my drink… I had a feeling about half way through." Kamijou huffed.

"Didn't seem to stop you." Miyagi snickered, pulling on his coat and helping Shinobu to stand.

"Thanks for dinner; we should all get together again, sometime! Maybe when Miyagi's apartment doesn't smell like death, or maybe at my place… or just out… that'd be cool, right?" Shinobu swayed, drunkenly from right to left.

"Oh, yes, absolutely!" Nowaki let Kamijou sink unconsciously to the floor as he walked the guests to the door. "And Hiro-san thanks you so much for lending him your car, professor Miyagi… we got off to a rocky start, from now on, let's be friends." He held his hand out and Miyagi hesitantly shook it, sensing a 'keep your friends close and your enemies even closer' vibe radiating from Nowaki's aura.

"Ahahahaha, sure! I'll keep a close eye on Kamijou and let you know if he needs some cheering up…" Miyagi replied, hesitantly.

"Yes, good! And don't even dare to be the one to cheer him up, just call me straight from work, here's my card, ahahaha…" Nowaki handed the good professor his card.

Miyagi swallowed, nervously, taking the card. "Rrrriiiight… Well, goodnight to the two of you!"

"Goodnight, professor…" A slurring Kamijou materialized behind Nowaki, still quite apparently drunk. "Take caaare…"

"You two, as well." Miyagi struggled to get Shinobu out the door and out toward the car.

"Niiiight…" Shinobu called, seeming to be in a rather good mood.

-..- . -..-

"Alcohol is supposed to be a depressant, but you seem a tad on the giddy side…" Miyagi muttered as he strapped Shinobu into his seat.

"Miyaaagiii, let's have sex!"

"There's no way in hell, especially not in my car, you'll probably end up throwing up all over the place… in fact, I'm going to try to get us home as fast as I can in case you feel sick on the way- and if you do, roll down the window!"

"I know, I know." Shinobu huffed as Miyagi got in his side and revved up the engine.

"But Miyaagii…" Shinobu whined, reaching over for Miyagi's lap but Miyagi caught his hand, annoyed, placing it in the boy's own lap.

"Just sit still until we get home, and I might consider making love to you there."

"…Miyagi…" Shinobu blushed lightly. "…I love you, Miyagi…. Miyagi…"

Miyagi put his cigarette out and checked behind him before backing out of the parking space, heading toward home.

"Miyagi…" Shinobu whimpered again as Miyagi pulled up to a red light.

"What what what? Why do you keep calling my…" Miyagi glanced at Shinobu and gawked at the sight of the younger male, blushing fervently and pleasuring himself.

"S-stop that!" Miyagi gawked. "Not in my car!! I said not to make a mess!!"

"Miyagi, I'm going to make you happy, too…" Shinobu unbuckled himself and leaned over, unzipping Miyagi's pants.

"GYAAAAA!!" Miyagi gawked down at his lap before glancing up at the light, nervously. "Shinobu-chin!! That's against the law! W-wear your seat…." He trailed off; face paling as a cop car pulled up beside him. "…Aaah… j-just don't move for now… okay, Shinobu-ch-ch-ch…." He stuttered at the overpowering sensation of Shinobu's mouth on his already hard length.

He slowly braved a glance into the next car. The policeman seemed to be looking ahead, but when he noticed Miyagi glance his way, he turned his head, blinking before smiling and nodding, politely.

Nervous beyond comprehension, Miyagi returned the smile, though his was likely more guilty-looking or stupid-looking, and forced his head to nod once or twice in unison with the bobbing head in his lap before turning to face forward, sweat dribbling down the side of his face.

The light turned green and Miyagi struggled to go at just the right speed until the cop turned down another road. He turned down a quiet street and pulled over to the side of the road, safely, gripping at the steering wheel and grunting as he released his load into Shinobu's mouth.

The teen swallowed, cleaned what little mess was made and sat up, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, rather cutely.

"….Miyagi… I love you…"

Miyagi was panting, hunched over the steering wheel. "…Don't pull those kinds of stunts… okay?"

"…Miyagi…" Shinobu's brows furrowed in a child-like irritation as he pointed at his own crotch. "…Love me, too."

**"THAT'S NOT LOVE!!** YOU COULDN'T WAIT UNTIL WE GOT HOME?!" Miyagi snapped.

"…I didn't want to do it where it smelled like ramen…" Shinobu huffed, making his seat lay back and tugging his shirt up past his slim stomach. "…Miyagi… love me…"

"You don't have to tell me to love you…" Miyagi muttered, annoyed, reaching over and sliding Shinobu's seat belt over his waist. "…But don't do that sort of thing in public- it's too reckless…"

"But you came so fast!"

"….That's beside the point." Miyagi huffed, hair frazzling.

"Miyagi…" Shinobu whined again, reaching his arms up behind his head in an attempt at looking seductive…

Miyagi's fingers twitched, and right when he was about to reach over, a car passed, snapping him out of it. "WAIT UNTIL WE GET HOME!!"

"Boo…" Shinobu pouted as Miyagi revved up the engine and sped back to their apartments. Needless to say, he got a speeding ticket that night… luckily it was a different cop who pulled him over.

-..- . -..-

**AN: **That was a little longer than the previous two chapters- they're probably going to vary between 10-20 pages from now on…

**Next chapter spoilers:** (chapter 4: Romantica: Video Cameras and Revelations) It's the long-awaited conclusion to Misaki's home-wrecking mystery… just who IS behind the messes he's been waking up to, anyway?? More dramatic, yet- a visit from Kamijou Hiroki, who needs a huge favor from Usami, invokes a startling revelation for Misaki… Just what WAS his professor's relationship with his lover? A mere childhood friendship, or something deeper?! What a dramatic way to leave you in suspense, I'm going to go puke from all of the transparent attempts at overly-dramatizing my own pathetic fanfic now! Catch you next time! BLEH!! XDDD


	4. Romantica: Videocameras and Revelations

**AN: **Ok, so… from now on, I'm going to update every ten reviews, I guess… I like reviews. (*already has next 2 chapters done*)

**Future plans: **At this point, I have the whole thing pretty much planned out. It should be around 12 chapters long and toward the 8th chapter, the chapters won't center around the main couples anymore, (Not that they really have been, as planned. _ ) they will, instead, incorporate all three couples with random crossovers… the reason behind the three couples coming together is better explained, here's a slight spoiler: Hiro ends up having to go to the hospital, (and not to see his luv-luv) so that's how I have all three couples sort of meet up or whatever… we'll see how it goes.

**Warnings:** Yaoi, smut-a-rific yaoi, consensual rape (is there such a thing? If you ask, you haven't read Junjou Romantica. So there.) and (an obvious attempt at) the most dramatic-sounding summary EVER. **… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Chapter 4 Summary: **Misaki finds out who has been behind the messes that have been left for him the past few days, but more importantly, a cameo appearance from Kamijou Hiroki brings about a startling realization for Misaki… just what was his literature professor's relationship with his lover?!! (Yes, the summaries are all going to be like this from now on- commence the head-banging.)

-..- . -..-

**Chapter Four: Romantica: Video Cameras and Revelations**

-..- . -..-

=== -Saturday 1B- ===

Misaki shifted uncomfortably in his position… inside Usami's closet… where he was crouching, camera to his eye, ready to videotape his lover as soon as he hit the sack.

Everything was perfect. His plan was fool-proof. He'd left a fake note explaining that he was staying the night at a friend's because he'd procrastinated too long on a collaborative assignment and had to get it done with his friend tonight! … Usami would read the note, go to bed, and then Misaki would catch him in the act- and on film, too! He'd also taken enough espresso shots to stay up the whole night if he had to!!!

He heard a noise and his eyes widened as he waited, excited and a little nervous. After a while, he heard footsteps drawing nearer, ascending the stairs, and then, after just a few more long strides, Misaki heard the doorknob twist.

And suddenly, just like that, he felt a wave of guilt and fear crashing over him. Oh; how he'd prepared, oh; how he'd been so excited to catch Usami in the act! But… no! The show must go on! As quietly and carefully as he could, he pushed record on the camera, a finger already pressed tightly over the tiny red dot that lit up so as to hide it.

Usami headed over to his bed after having closed the door, and, facing the bed, he shrugged off his shirt, not even bothering to separate his tie, and then he turned, sitting on the bed, stretching.

When Misaki saw the look on Usami's face, he went through three sudden emotional changes. The first was relief, the second, annoyance, and the third; fear.

He was first relieved to see that Usami was smirking and not upset that he was missing or gone to a friend's house… Then he felt annoyed, wondering how Usami could possibly smirk at the news that Misaki wouldn't be here tonight… then, realizing there was no way that Usami could possibly have missed the note, as it had been taped to the front door, he felt his whole body freeze with fear. Did Usami know? Or worse, was he going to do something dirty before he went to bed with Misaki gone? Would he do something dirty with Suzuki-san like he always claimed he did when Misaki wasn't around?!!!

. . .

No. That last one was too disturbing to even consider, besides, Suzuki wasn't even…

WAIT!

Where was Suzuki-san?!!

Usami suddenly cracked his neck from one side, to the other, before pulling off his pants.

Misaki silently pouted. He was hoping Usami wouldn't strip, since he knew as payment, he'd have to show this video to Sumi-sempai… Maybe he could 'accidentally' record over that part or something… Oh- but at least he was leaving his underwear on!

Usami crawled under the covers and promptly fell asleep.

…

Well, that was unexpected. Misaki wondered why Usami had been smirking like that… probably thinking dirty things about Misaki!

So, after about forty minutes of silence, Usami began softly snoring. Misaki's back was really starting to hurt, so, now reassured that Usami was asleep, he shifted slightly, so as to pop his aching back. Usami showed no signs of waking, but somewhere, from downstairs, Misaki heard a rather loud crashing noise… Followed by another loud crashing noise… followed by multiple crashing noises… His eyes bulged… it really _wasn't _Usami?! But how could this be?!!

Usami's snoring didn't cease, so Misaki hurriedly crawled out from his hiding space and snuck out of the room as quietly as he could, hurrying toward the stairs and peering down. The entire place was a mess!!! What, what, WHAT?!!

He darted down the stairs and looked around frantically for the culprit, when, suddenly, the culprit revealed himself…

"SUZUKI-SAN?!!" Misaki stared, perplexed at the large stuffed bear, who was sitting amidst the chaotic-looking living room, holding a large sign that read 'I did it! I'm the culprit!'

Hesitantly, Misaki headed toward the bear, only to step in a trap. A rope loop he'd stepped in tightened around his ankle, suddenly, lifting him into the air.

"Wuaah!" Misaki accidentally dropped his camera as he was being lifted, and it landed perfectly into the hands of a certain novelist.

Misaki swung from side to side, eyes bulging at the scene before him.

"Excellent work, Suzuki-san." Usami patted the bear on the head, aiming the camera up at Misaki. "We're about to have a looooot of fun."

"…" Misaki's eyes narrowed. "I don't know how you did this, or how long you've been planning this, but this is just plain wrong. Get me down."

"You get down by pulling this." Usami raised another rope-loop and Misaki blinked, reaching for it. Usami pulled it back at the last second. "You need both hands or the whole thing will collapse."

"…?" Misaki reached down with both hands and his lover raised the rope back up, tightening it around Misaki's wrists. "…WHAT?!" Misaki gasped. "No!!!"

Usami pulled on a third rope and Misaki dropped, right into his hold. The writer then headed up to his room with his tied up hostage and camera in tow.

"USAGI-SAN! I DON'T KNOW WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO DO ALL THIS, BUT THE MESSES BETTER STOP,_** AT LEAST!**_" Misaki struggled all the way up the stairs.

Nudging the door open with his foot, Usami entered his room, quite merrily, the camera in one hand, Misaki draped over his other shoulder. He somehow managed to ignore Misaki's whiney protests and threw the nineteen year old onto the bed.

Misaki got up on his knees, annoyed. "Usagi-san!! Untie these!"

"…" Usami looked the camera over, curiously, before looking through it at Misaki. "Misaki, say cheese."

"I won't!"

"Say: 'Akihiko-sama, please have your way with me…' In as sweet a voice as you can muster."

Misaki's jaw dropped.

"And make a cuter face."

"I've gone along with some of that kind of stuff before, but this is where I draw the line!" Misaki snapped, raising his wrists. "Untie me!"

"…" Usami set the camera up to where it could record whatever happened on the bed. Yet again, Misaki's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"AND THAT'S 100X WORSE THAN JUST TYING ME UP!!! NO WAY!!!"

"But you're already excited by just the mere thought of it, right?" Usami smirked, heading over to Misaki and kneeling on the bed before him, reaching down to cup one of his large hands over the crotch of Misaki's pants.

Misaki blushed furiously, shutting his eyes tight and turning his head away. Even the tied up part wouldn't be so bad… but the thought of videotaping it…

"I can't…" Misaki mumbled, nervously. "…Don't videotape it!"

"But you were going to videotape me, right?" Usami smirked. "And even show it to that friend of yours?"

Misaki's eyes widened. 'What the hell?! Did Sumi-sempai tell on me?! Would he possibly have betrayed me?!! There's just no way, right?!!'

"So how is that any different? What if I'd started touching myself while you were recording me?" Usami inquired, pursing his lips in some kind of man-pout that was NOT winning Misaki over.

Misaki's face did flush, however, as Usami slowly undid the zipper on the teen's pants.

"…Th-that's…" Misaki trailed off, whimpering.

Usami pressed his index and middle finger to the bulge in Misaki's underwear, rotating them hard in a circular pattern.

"That's… different…" Misaki breathed out his words more than speaking them.

"Just how far were you willing to go over something so petty? You're the one who should consider your own actions and the possible consequences before doing something so potentially hurtful." Usami smirked against Misaki's ear, nipping at it.

Tears stung in the corners of Misaki's eyes, clinging to his lashes. "I-I… wasn't… I wouldn't have… BESIDES! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ALL THAT FROM SOMEONE LIKE YOU!!!"

"It's easy to say you wouldn't have now that the situation has been avoided… it's always easier to say you wouldn't do something hypothetically, but then when the situation actually presents itself in reality… then what?" Usami smirked, thoroughly enjoying the squirming sight of Misaki.

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki mumbled, sadly, not sure of how to reply to such words. He whimpered again when Usagi pushed him onto the bed, raising Misaki's tied up wrists up above his head and adjusting the ropes. Misaki let out a sigh of relief before gasping, looking up as Usami tied his wrists to the headboard.

"Now say: 'Usagi-chan-sensei, please be gentle with me…'" Usami whispered.

"…" Misaki glanced from Usami to the video camera; the shining red light was proof enough that this little scenario was being recorded…

"…Go on." Usami smirked. "My novels are popular enough, but I wonder how many fans would purchase a live version…?"

"That would be selling me…" Misaki whined, turning back to Usami.

"Like how you were going to sell me in exchange to use that little toy? We should give your friend their money's worth, shouldn't we? So to say…"

"…Usagi-san, please stop…" Misaki complained.

Misaki shut his eyes again when he felt Usami's breath against his ear, and then his lover's tongue darted inside, hand groping gently at Misaki's crotch, caressing his erection artfully.

"Kuaa…" Misaki struggled to pull his arms free of the ropes. "…wh-when did you get a new headboard??"

"Misaki…" Usami purred his lover's name into the struggling teen's ear, sliding his hand up Misaki's shirt.

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki's narrowed gaze continued to drift from his lover to the camera that was recording them.

'I don't like this…' He thought, nervously. 'Usagi-san has done fun things before… things that seemed bad at first but didn't seem so bad after they kept going… but this… this is really embarrassing… and I feel bad… usually Usagi-san makes me feel really good in bed, even though it's a little embarrassing, this is… this is… frightening! Humiliating… maybe I'm being too narrow-minded about it, but… why did he have to say all of those things?? I wouldn't really have kept recording if Usagi-san had started doing inappropriate things, right? I mean… it's not really inappropriate that he do those types of things in the privacy of his own room… but if I were to tape it… that's definitely not something I would do!!! But… then what did I expect to show Sumi-sempai?!! And how did Usagi-san even know…? I don't know, but… all I know is… this situation is making me really uncomfortable… If I just tell him to stop, will he stop? He's never stopped before… but it's never felt this… this what? Wrong? Dirty? Usually things like that only make it more exciting… what am I going to do…? If it's recorded… what am I going to do?!!'

Suddenly Misaki felt his face being caressed and pulled to the side. He opened his eyes to stare into those of his lover and he automatically closed his own eyes when his lover's face drew nearer and he felt Usami's lips against his, that hot tongue sliding into his mouth to flick against his own…

"…" Misaki stopped thinking and worrying… he trusted Usami… besides…

Usami continued his ministrations, hand sliding around Misaki's waist to his rear, poking at his entrance and toying with him, his other hand still gently caressing Misaki's face, and his tongue… his tongue could just keep doing what it was doing.

Even as Misaki kissed him back, eagerly, he couldn't stop himself from constantly pulling away

to glance at the camera, nervously, hoping it would fall or just turn off on its own… Each time he turned away from their foreplay, Usami would busy his tongue elsewhere; in Misaki's ear, down his jaw line and neck, along his clavicle- and as distracting as Usami's hands and tongue were, he couldn't get his mind to focus on anything but the camera and how uncomfortable he was with it on… His thoughts would also continue to shift back to those words…

Even though he was sure Usami was just being playful, they had really hurt Misaki… Usami was doing this just because he was a pervert, right?

He wasn't being malicious or vindictive, was he?

Usami wouldn't do anything that would cause him any pain or grief, right…?

Okay, maybe it didn't seem like it in the past, but…

But…

Not feeling any less reassured, Misaki pulled away, deciding to put an end to this once and for all. This had been going on for nearly five minutes and he still wasn't enjoying it, so there was definitely something wrong.

"…Usagi-san…" He whispered, staring seriously at his lover. "…Tie me up… do whatever you want to me…"

Usami smirked, readying to do just that when Misaki's next words made him hesitate, the seriousness of Misaki's tone stopping him dead in his tracks:

"But turn off the camera… I'm scared… and uncomfortable…"

Usami continued staring at Misaki with that distant-looking expression. The novelist had never refrained from doing something-anything he wanted to do before, no matter how much Misaki protested, but this instance was different… Not only was Misaki pleading in that serious and quivering voice, but his body was starting to tremble- and it probably wasn't from excitement…

No. That was definitely a different type of adrenaline…

Usami sighed, leaning down and kissing Misaki again, pulling his hand out from the back of the teen's pants.

"Misaki… I've told you before, haven't I? That I won't share you with anyone… you're mine."

"…" Misaki's brows furrowed in confusion at his lover's words before his eyes widened, and his brows furrowed yet again, but this time in aggravation. "YOU TOOK OUT THE DISK?!!"

A smirk spread across Usami's face. "…Now say: 'Usagi-sama… do dirty things to me.'"

"The things _I'll _do to_ you_ when my hands are freed…" Misaki huffed. "Usa-" He was cut off when his lover's mouth covered his yet again. This time he gave in, closing his eyes and letting his lover have his way with him.

Usami's cold hands slid up under Misaki's shirt, and his lover's mouth left his own to trail hot kisses down Misaki's chest and downward toward his navel.

Misaki squirmed, still struggling to free his hands of their restraints.

"Usagi-san, untie my legs at least…"

Usami ignored his lover's breathy request, opting instead to raise Misaki's legs, pulling his pants down to his ankles.

"Usagi-saaan!" Misaki whined.

"It's always the same thing with you… complaining and whining and calling out my name… try something new for once… if my stories consisted of the same dialog over and over, who do you think would buy them?" Usami goaded Misaki as he slid the brunette's underwear down his thighs after having set his legs back down on the bed.

Misaki's eyes widened and he looked furious for a moment before huffing. "Don't expect me to say the things you make me say in your smutty novels!!! Just put it in, pull it out, do that a few times and get on with it! I'm tired…"

"…Selfish." Usami huffed. "What a selfish uke… more selfish than I've ever written you out to be."

"S-selfish…" Misaki's face fell, and he whimpered. "I-I'm not…"

"But I'll grant you your wish… I'll put it in and pull it out a few times… but you didn't specify what 'it' had to be, really…" He looked around the room and Misaki gawked.

"NO! Just put your you-know-what in my you-know-where!"

"You know what?" Usami raised a book and Misaki's jaw dropped.

"THAT WOULDN'T EVEN WORK!!!"

"We'll find out, I suppose."

"NO!!!"

"Then what? Be specific… use your words, Misaki." Usami smirked.

Misaki glowered at Usami; what a pathetic attempt at trying to make Misaki talk dirty! He didn't have much experience with anything that fell under the 'kinky' category, as was probably apparent by his obvious dislike for being taped, so he wasn't certain if a book could really be used that way- at the same time, he wasn't willing to risk it…

"…" Annoyed, Misaki glanced again at the camera. He still didn't like the red light being on. Finally, he arched his back, wriggling his hips a little. "P-put your b-gig… c-c-c-c-co… co… p-put your big c-cock… i-in m-my…"

Usami smiled adoringly at Misaki's inability to speak dirty even when trying his hardest. He reached down and pushed against Misaki's abs until the teen's back rested more comfortably against the bed. He then untied Misaki's legs and unzipped his own pants, spreading Misaki's thighs a little and pushing himself gently inside.

Misaki whimpered softly at the intrusion. It'd been about a week since they were able to engage in any sort of physical intimacy other than a kiss 'hello' or 'goodnight,' due to Usami's heavy schedule as of late. Needless to say, his body needed a moment to get reacquainted with the girth of Usami's erection.

"…Misaki… are you alright?" Usami asked, tentatively placing a hand on Misaki's chest, the other coming up to caress Misaki's cheek.

"Un." Misaki nodded once before shutting his eyes. "…Go ahead… f-f-fu-"

Usami smiled, placing his hands on Misaki's hips, drawing out before pushing in with more force, making Misaki gasp as he hit _that _spot.

It continued like that, Usami pushing in quickly and drawing out slowly, working up a good pace. He smirked, watching as Misaki squirmed beneath him, arms wriggling tenaciously in an attempt to free his hands.

Panting as Usami picked up the pace, Misaki let out a soft moan when his lover's hand came down to begin stroking him steadily in time with his thrusts.

Misaki bucked his hips to the best of his abilities. Since his hands were restrained and thus his leverage options were minimal, he was squirming more than anything else- but whatever he was doing, he couldn't stop, and Usami didn't want him to.

Watching his lover's flushing face and glazed over eyes wasn't enough… Usami leaned down, pressing a chaste kiss to an unsuspecting Misaki's lips, forcing Misaki to be the one to initiate a deeper kiss.

Misaki, confused by the lack of perversity in his lover's kiss, furrowed his brows before leaning

up, licking Usami's bottom lip, hesitating when Usami's tongue didn't greet his. Deciding this was Usami's way of letting Misaki be a tad dominant, (despite being tied up), Misaki slid his tongue into Usami's mouth, dueling with Usami's for the dominance he thought he'd been silently promised.

Usami thrust forward once again, this time with more force than before, hitting that sweet spot inside of Misaki, who gasped, breaking from their kiss, arching his back again, this time more naturally as he reached his peak and came, crying out his lover's name.

"Misaki…" The sight of his lover's orgasmic expression, coupled with the sound of his name leaving those luscious wet lips sent Usami over the edge and he leaned down, kissing Misaki as he came, too. Misaki's rear filled with Usami's seed, all excess practically squirting out. The teen shuddered at the sensation, moaning a final time as Usami pulled out, letting the rest ooze out on its own…

Usami rose, slightly, placing a kiss on Misaki's forehead as he did so.

"Mmm…" Misaki just took a moment to catch his breath before he glanced up toward his wrists. "…Usagi-san…"

"You came fast." Usami pointed out with a smirk as he untied Misaki's hands. "I think you liked the idea of being taped a little more than you let on- it didn't take much other than the mere prospect of being recorded for you to become so hard."

"I was already hard from being tied up, that's all…" Misaki argued, rubbing his wrists. They were a little pink, but they probably wouldn't hurt so much if he had just kept still…

Misaki shook his head, violently. 'Usagi-san is inside my head, rationalizing!!! Those were NOT my thoughts! This is _all_ _**his**_ fault!'

Usami pulled Misaki's pants and underwear off the rest of the way. "Let's take a shower." He suggested, moving off the bed, his pants still on, but still unzipped. He tucked himself in before heading over to the camera.

"Yeah, that light has been bugging me…" Misaki admitted, moving carefully to the side of the bed.

"U-u-uuusaagiii-saaaaan!!!"

Misaki's face paled at the sound of his own voice. Slowly, slooowly, he turned to gawk at his lover, who was watching the product of what had been recorded on the camera.

Usami, sensing his lover's furious gaze, glanced over, nonchalantly. "…What? I only said I wouldn't share it…" He took the disk out and raised it up for Misaki to see. "I won't share you with anyone, just like I said. This is all for me."

Misaki fumed, grabbing up the rope that had been used to tie his hands to the headboard and he stretched it out, something that wasn't quite a smirk but wasn't quite a grimace spreading across his face. "I'll send you to the next world, Usagi-san! I WANT TO SEE YOU BREAK IT IN HALF, OR ELSE!!!"

"Break what in half?" Usami asked, closing his hands around the disk before opening them, now empty.

Misaki dropped the rope, going beady eyed. "…Wha… how…"

"Now then, our shower…" Usami headed over, patting Misaki on the head. "We should-"

Misaki, acting purely on impulse, struck his hand out and down Usami's pants, grabbing hold of the disk and running into the bathroom with it, slamming the door closed behind him and locking it before sinking to the floor, smiling victoriously at the disk in his hands.

SNAP.

"Huu-haaa!" Misaki turned, opening the door and throwing the pieces down on the floor. "…Now let's get cleaned up, I'm seriously exhausted, and tomorrow is your day off, if you think for even one second I'm going to help you clean up Suzuki-san's mess, you're out of your mind."

"… You didn't really think it was Suzuki-san, did you?" Usami stared at his lover, disbelievingly.

"I don't know how **you** did it, and I probably don't_ want_ to know… but in any case, I feel absolutely filthy… I'm showering, NOW." Misaki huffed, stepping into the shower and pulling off his shirt, tossing it.

"…I'm not completely off tomorrow, in fact, I won't be able to pick you up." Usami told him, pulling off his own shirt as Misaki tested the water after turning it on.

"That's fine."

Usami let his pants drop and he entered, too, drawing the curtain closed.

-..- . -..-

=== -Friday 4A- ===

"Usagi-san?" Misaki yawned nearly a week later at breakfast, "Um… do you remember… last week? Before you had met your deadline?"

"Nnn…" Usami's face broke out into a huge knowing grin as he read over the morning newspaper. "Yes."

"…Question: … How DID you make that big mess while you were pretending to sleep?"

Usagi sipped at his coffee, turning a page. "Oh… I had help."

"Good morning!!!" Aikawa let herself in, suddenly, wearing a bright and cheery smile. "I'm here for my compensation!!! Misaki! Long time no see!" She turned to glower at Usami. "You actually turned your work in on time so you never compensated me for my assistance last Saturday evening!"

"Your compensation has been destroyed. I'll add that scene you requested in my next novel instead." Usami shrugged, turning the page yet again.

"…WHAT HAPPENED TO NOT SHARING ME WITH ANYONE?!!" Misaki snapped, standing.

"Well, that's all well and good." Aikawa sighed, setting a bag of goodies down on the table. "As long as I'm compensated. Compensation is compensation."

"Why are you here? It's my day off." Usami snapped. "And way too early for that meeting- it's in the afternoon, right?"

"You mentioned wanting to know more about the latest American colloquialisms for your next novel, so I brought over my own personal findings, I thought you might find them helpful, if you don't, you can dispose of it how you like. I was actually on my way to the library. Misaki-kun, your school is on the way if you'd like a ride."

"Yes, please." Misaki perked, hurrying off to grab his things.

"Was it really destroyed?" He heard Aikawa ask as he hurried off and he grumbled, annoyed.

He thought back to when he had had to break the news to his ever-gracious sempai…

_"No fair…" Sumi huffed, staring at his camera after school. "You couldn't capture anything?"_

_"I was the one that got captured, and trust me; you wouldn't have wanted to see anything that was taped. It was aaaaall-Misaki."_

_"…" Sumi nodded, enthusiastically, and Misaki almost got annoyed at how quick the other teen was to agree. "Can't be helped, then, I guess."_

_"So… about what I mentioned before… how do you think he knew?" Misaki asked, arching a brow._

_"Well… to be honest, I sort of saw him on my way toward my own place and I said: 'Say hi to Misaki when you see him next.' And he said: 'I'll tell him when I get home.' And I accidentally said: 'He won't be there.' And he stopped and said: 'what do you mean?' and then I kind of froze before blurting out a somewhat inappropriate question."_

_". . . Such as…?"_

_"…I asked if he masturbates before he goes to sleep."_

_Misaki's jaw dropped yet again. "WHUAT?!! __**WHY WOULD YOU ASK THAT?!!**__"_

_"…So he would answer and I would know if lending you the tape was even wor- I panicked, okay…? Sorry… who knew he'd be smart enough to piece two and two together, anyway? He's a smut-writing novelist and a novelist of boring and fundamentally uninteresting books… how was I to know he wouldn't just brush me off as some odd fan? That's sort of what I was going for, so as to distract him from your whereabouts, but it sort of blew up in my face."_

_"'__**SORT OF'**__ IS AN __**UNDERSTATEMENT**__! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! If it hadn't been for you, I never would have ended up hog-tied and…" He trailed off, face turning beet._

_"…" Sumi stared at him, both feeling the awkward tension in the air. "…Anyway…"_

_"Yeah…"_

He grimaced at the awkward memory, grabbing up his things and darting out the door before Usami could stop him for a kiss in front of a 'kyaa!'-ing Aikawa,

-..-..-..-

Misaki sighed as he made his way down the hall after his classes that day. He considered grabbing a bite to eat before heading home… it wasn't a long walk, but he was so used to receiving rides that he felt a tad annoyed. He also didn't have work today, so he figured he'd probably spend the next hour or so alone before having to put up with Usami's advances…

"Misaki!"

He stopped, hand on the door, and he glanced over his shoulder at Sumi, who was jogging toward him.

"I have to run by professor Kamijou's office to turn in a paper… do you want to come with me so there's less chance of me getting a book in the head?" Sumi inquired.

"Hah?!" Misaki gawked. "…But then there's more chance of _me_ getting a book in the head! Besides, you've already gotten me beaten by that guy before!" He rubbed his face, recalling the time Sumi had fallen asleep during class and Kamijou (who wasn't nearly as good at aiming as he was strong) had managed to nail poor Misaki in the face with what was probably a chalk board eraser but that felt like a brick. (1)

"Look at it from a friend's stand point. Kamijou is 30 percent likely to throw books. If he does throw the books, 100 percent of his energy would go toward booking me, if there were two people, he'd give 50 percent per person, which means if someone's getting booked, they're not getting booked as hard."

". . . How in the hell do you come to THAT logic?! No! What did you do? Write a horrible paper? Why didn't you turn it in earlier, with the rest of the class? It was done, right?" Misaki bombarded his friend with questions.

"I wrote a paper on Usami-san as an author and how awful he is… then later I overheard professor Kamijou talking about what a great author he is, so… I changed it a little…"

"…How do you a change a paper that's content is completely centered around how awful a writer is without just starting over completely?" Misaki asked, eye twitching.

"Well, I had it backed up as a word document on my flash drive, so I just accessed it in the library, hit control and the H key, and replaced all the 'awful's with 'awesome's and changed the title."

"…You're definitely going to get booked. Why would you change it?! Turn in the first copy; he's not going to fail you just because you don't like the same author as him!"

"He books people for disliking literature when he does!" Sumi pointed out, annoyed. "Besides, you owe me one for not taping your precious Usami-san."

"…I'll go with you." Misaki sighed, annoyed. "But only because I'm not looking forward to having to walk home."

"Why do you have to walk?" Sumi blinked.

"Usagi-san said he had an obligation to tend to and that we'd probably get home at about the same time… one of his meetings, you know?"

"Well, whatever the reason, I thank you." The two headed toward the office shared by the literature department staff and peered inside, nervously.

Miyagi You and Kamijou Hiroki were both inside, and it looked like they were about to leave.

Sumi hesitated before pulling off his glasses, putting them in their case, then in his pack, before inhaling deeply and knocking on the door.

Both professor as well as associate professor looked up swiftly from packing their things.

"Uh-oh… those are your students, Kamijou." Miyagi stated, smiling a friendly smile. "Welcome! Come in, come in!"

"Takahashi Misaki and Sumi Keiichi." Kamijou greeted, leaning back on his desk, his hand just-so-happening to come down to rest on a rather large hard-bound book. "Did you have a question, oh- if you try to drop the class, I won't permit it!!!"

Misaki and Sumi both stared, blankly.

"I need to turn this in…" Sumi raised his paper after being nudged by a slightly frightened Misaki.

"…" Kamijou took it, reading the title. "Ah, you were the one to refrain from turning your paper in… I knew I counted two less and one student was abs… this is about the author Usami Akihiko…"

"What an odd coincidence." Miyagi laughed, softly.

"What is?" Misaki turned to him, blinking.

"Ah, Kamijou-sensei was just about to hitch a ride with me to this Usami Akihiko's place, since he has some business to tend to with him." Miyagi explained.

"He's not home right now, but he should be back in half an hour." Misaki blinked, checking his watch.

Kamijou's eyes narrowed on the younger brunette male. 'That's right… this is the boy Akihiko was watching that day he came to borrow that book from me… I heard some rumors that this boy was living with Akihiko… I suppose this validates those rumors… but that can't be, Can it? Akihiko's not the type who could really have a roommate, is he?'

"Eh?" Miyagi blinked. "How can you be sure?"

"Ah- we're… err… roommates…" Misaki scratched the back of his head, nervously.

'…I suppose THIS validates those rumors…' Kamijou thought; annoyed.

"…So to say- err… but if you'd like you can still… oh, but I guess I won't get there for a few-" Misaki was fumbling over words, since Kamijou seemed to be looking at him with an irritated face.

"Ah!" Miyagi clapped his hands together, smirking. "If you're headed that way anyway, why don't you catch a ride with us, that way, you can let Kamijou-sensei inside and wait for him together!"

"PROFESSOR!" Kamijou gawked, eye twitching.

"Well, it's better than waiting alone, right?" Miyagi folded his arms, huffing.

"Too true." Sumi nodded. "Have fun, Misaki!" He patted his friend on the back and promptly left. Misaki gawked after him. 'What happened to lessening the chances of getting booked as hard?!'

"There are still people who dislike Akihiko's work…" Kamijou huffed, reading over the paper. "I thought I wouldn't have to read anymore of these…"

"You already read the others?" Misaki exclaimed, turning back to the two professors.

"Yeah…" Kamijou mumbled, annoyed, tucking it in his briefcase.

"Let's get going, then, I still have to swing by the high school." Miyagi glanced at his watch. "Ah- there's going to be a mad face waiting for me, I just know it…"

"A high school?" Misaki asked. "There's a high school between here and my place, is that the one you-"

"It's no one important, that brat can wait." Kamijou huffed, passing both Miyagi as well as Misaki and heading out. "Lock up, professor."

"Of course!" Miyagi ushered Misaki out and locked the door behind them. The two then followed Kamijou out to the instructors' parking lot.

-..- . -..-

"Naa, naa, I've heard a lot about this Usami Akihiko person, all the girls think he's something pretty special… I don't mean as an author, I've read his books, but what about the man himself?" Miyagi asked. "I've heard he's extremely attractive."

"He's handsome and talented, of course you've heard about him from girls." Kamijou huffed.

"Kamijou, I was talking to Takahashi-kun…" Miyagi huffed. "What's he like to live with?"

"He's hard to live with…" Misaki admitted, fidgeting nervously from the back.

"I bet the girls are all jealous of you, regardless, huh, Takahashi-kun?" Miyagi inquired.

"Eh?" Misaki blushed lightly. "W-why do you think that?"

"Because Kamijou-sensei says he's attractive… but his taste in men must differ from yours, I suppose…"

"TASTE IN MEN?!!" Kamijou and Misaki both exclaimed, each blushing different shades of red.

"Hahahaha…" Miyagi laughed, softly. "Ah, you two both have the same reaction when it comes to that sort of thing… makes me glad I'm not a-"

"If you're dating a man, then that makes you a homo, professor." Kamijou snapped. "No matter how you look at it!"

"…" Misaki sank down in his seat, reflecting on his instructor's words, despite that they hadn't been aimed at him. 'I'm a homo… no matter how you look at it…'

"I guess, sort of…" Miyagi lost his smirk and Kamijou huffed.

"Anyway, don't go saying inappropriate things to our students! You wanna get sued for sexual harassment or what?"

"Ah- if I were to sue anyone for sexual harassment, believe me, it wouldn't be you, professor Miyagi…" Misaki reassured him. Even though this guy seemed to be just as straight-forward as Usami, he seemed a lot safer, too…

"Don't say that!" Kamijou turned in his seat to glower at Misaki. "If you give him permission, he'll take full advantage!"

"…Ah… eheheheh… I never even see Professor Miyagi, really, since _you're_ my instructor… err, but I do feel like I've seen him once or twice, somewhere…" Misaki tried to think about it.

"Must have been at the school… maybe during lunch." Kamijou suggested.

'Does every gay person in Japan attend or work at my school, or are there just way more homosexuals in the world than I thought…?' Misaki wondered, glancing from Miyagi to Kamijou. 'I wonder if they're lovers… they seem to have good chemistry… WHAT AM I THINKING?!!'

"Well, the two of you have a fun time waiting for that author together. Takahashi-kun, don't try to sweet talk your way into a better grade! Kamijou-tentei just absolutely_ hates_ that!! Oh, and seeing as this is an author's house, I know it might be difficult, but keep Kamijou-tentei away from the books, okay?" Miyagi pulled up to the house, whistling. "Quite the place for just the two of you, or is there a whole homo-harem?"

"Homo-harem?!" Misaki blushed again, getting out of the car.

"Professor, will you please drive away **and into a wall**?" Kamijou asked as he got out and Misaki gawked. Miyagi merely laughed, waving goodbye before driving off.

"…I'm not going to try to sweet talk my way into a good grade…" Misaki wanted to make this very clear as he hurried up to the front door. Kamijou followed, annoyed, with each second that passed, he hoped Usami would return at the very next second.

"I don't know if sweet-talking _**could**_ save your grade, Takahashi-kun… maybe you should have your roommate tutor you instead of Sumi-kun. His grade is worse than yours."

"…Is that before or after grading that paper about Usagi-san?" Misaki teased, hoping to humor his professor into seeming to hate him slightly less.

"Usagi?" Kamijou asked, confused, dropping his shoes on his way in. "You mean Usami, right?"

"Ah- yeah… I guess that is what most people would call him…" Misaki closed the door behind his professor and took his coat when Kamijou shrugged it off.

"I don't. To me, Akihiko is Akihiko… so where is he, anyway?" Kamijou looked around. 'Even though Takahashi-kun isn't GREAT at literature, his grade is alright- I'd say he's mediocre… still, the one thing I've always admired about his work is that it's always organized and clean… I sort of expected his home to be the same, but…'

"Ah- sorry about the mess…" Misaki ran over to a couch, cleaning it off to the best of his abilities and patting the cushion, beckoning for Kamijou to come and sit. "…Err, about Usagi-san, I think he said something about an obligatory meeting with a promising new publisher or something like that… we don't talk about business stuff much… Can I get you something to drink? I, myself am going to have some tea."

"Tea? Uh… yes, if you'll have some, then, I'll have some as well." Kamijou replied, setting his briefcase on the floor beside his feet.

"I'll make some for Usagi-san, since he'll probably be here pretty soon." Misaki said in an effort to reassure Kamijou, who noticed a new book lying on the table and he reached for it, opening it.

Misaki scuttled off to the kitchen to make tea.

"A new book…? Why is it already published with a hard cover and everything if I haven't read over it first… And what's with this lame paper-bag cover? Is Akihiko not bringing them to me, anymore… Hmm… Akikawa Yayoi (2)…? Why does that name sound familiar?"

Misaki returned, suddenly, carrying a tray with three cups of tea, some sugar cubes, and a small saucer full of some kind of cream. "I didn't know what you like in your tea, so I- **AAAAAH!!!"** Misaki grabbed the book away, hiding it behind his back and flushing deeply. "No, please! I, uh… uh…"

"I'm not really going to hit you with it, don't listen to that cigarette-smoking idiot." Kamijou huffed. "I'm just interested to see what new book Akihiko is-"

"If you like Usagi-san as an author for his books, you won't like this, this was written by… um, well…"

"That was definitely Akihiko's writing, I'd know it from anywhere, despite the pen name." Kamijou huffed.

"Th-this isn't… I mean…" Misaki swallowed, nervously. "The thing is… I can't-"

"Ah, Hiroki, I see you're interested in my latest Junai Romantica novel!" Usami suddenly materialized behind Misaki, raising the book with a smirk. "Help yourself to it!"

"NO HE CANNOT!" Misaki wailed, grabbing the book from Usami when Kamijou reached for it, confused, and hurrying behind Kamijou, hiding the book behind his back. "Usagi-san! THIS IS MY LITERATURE INSTRUCTOR!"

"…Ah… small world… Help yourself to this copy." Usami pulled another copy out of his coat pocket and handed it to Hiroki, who slapped his hand, making the book fall to the table.

"If I had known it was one of THOSE, then I wouldn't have shown any interest." Kamijou snapped.

"…Ah… you seem fairly familiar with Usagi-san's works…" Misaki felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I've actually just finished the latest volume of Junai Egoist." Usami raised the new book from his coat pocket and handed it to Misaki, who took it, annoyed.

"At least it's not-"

**"AAAAH!!!"** Kamijou grabbed it, moving away from both Misaki and Usami, glowering at Usami. "YOU **BASTARD!** This is my _student_!"

"…" Usami blinked, folding his arms.

Kamijou and Misaki both glanced at one another before holding out their respective BL novels. "I'll never read yours if you never read mine." The two promised in unison.

"That's unfair." Usami huffed.

"A-anyway, Usagi-san, Kamijou-sensei has some business with you." Misaki took his own tea and turned. "Kamijou-sensei, I apologize in advance if Usag- err… Usami-san does, says, implies, or suggests anything that offends you and would hope it wouldn't have any effect on my grade… with that said, I leave him in your care and I'll leave the two of you to your conversation. I assume it will consist of personal matters, so I'll just be in my room…"

"…" Kamijou shook his head as Misaki headed off, Usami waving, smiling. "He seems to know you well."

"Good to see that the two of you don't have enough in common to talk about." Usami sat, smiling.

"I think we must have enough in common to speak volumes…" Kamijou huffed, sipping at his tea and sitting back down.

Misaki, not quite out of hearing-range yet, blinked at this, wondering if perhaps Kamijou had at one time been close to Usami…

He'd have to ask Usami later…

"Akihiko," he heard Kamijou ask, "That boy is your roommate?"

"He's more than that." Usami smiled. "He's my inspiration."

"Inspiration? You must be referring to those BL novels."

At hearing this, Misaki froze. Now he _had _to listen and make sure Usami didn't say the wrong thing to his book-throwing demon-teacher. If Usami said something that might disgust or offend Kamijou, it might affect his grade! He definitely didn't like listening in, especially when he'd promised not to, but at this point, if he didn't, he'd probably regret it more than if he didn't. He carefully hid, making sure he was unseen, but could still hear- which meant HE needed to keep as quiet as possible…

'Since when am I a spy? I've spied on Usagi-san TWICE in the last two weeks! What's wrong with me?! Maybe I shouldn't… I should just ask Usagi-san later-'

"Well, yes, for those-" Usami started, but was interrupted.

"So I take it you've slept with him… Guess that shouldn't shock me… what is it with grown men and sleeping with children these days, anyway?" Kamijou huffed, scratching his head.

Misaki felt his face go pale. He couldn't stop now; he had to know what would be said.

"My sex life isn't really any of your concern, now, is it, Hiroki?" Usami seemed annoyed by Kamijou's attitude. He lit a cigarette.

"No…" Kamijou muttered, bitterly. "…But that boy… His last name is Takahashi…"

"You're perceptive as always, Hi-ro-ki." Usami smiled. "He's Takahiro's younger brother."

Misaki blinked. 'Niichan never mentioned anything about a friend named Hiroki that I can remember… does Kamijou-sensei know Oniichan?'

"Takahiro's eight year old brother he had to take care of?"

"That was eleven years ago, he's actually grown much bigger since then."

'Obviously…' Misaki thought, annoyed.

Kamijou glared. "I know that! But he's that kid, right?"

"Yes." Usami replied, sipping his own tea.

'He knows about me?!! Ah- Kamijou-sensei must be one of Usagi-san's childhood friends or something… maybe the friend that lived across the street (3) that Sebastia- err… Tanaka-san (4) mentioned… but… Kamijou-sensei doesn't seem rich… And a rich person wouldn't teach… ah- either way, he's definitely some kind of childhood friend if he knew oniichan- I'll have to ask oniichan when he calls later!!'

Kamijou set his tea down, glaring. "Akihiko… I don't know much about that boy, other than the fact that he can't seem to grasp concept mapping (5), and merely as his teacher, it may not be my place to say this, but… if you're only after him because his brother, Takahiro went and got himself married, then that's extremely unfair to Takahashi-kun! What's more-"

"You're mistaken." Usami interrupted him, a distant look of happiness gracing his features. "I happen to have fallen head over heels in love with Misaki… It was his ability to sympathize with others… his compassionate personality that I fell in love with… as soon as I saw those tears… his crying for my pain… I knew he was the one…"

"…" Kamijou frowned, folding his arms. "Still, for someone who studied law for so long, you sure are dense when it comes to using people in your novels, and you definitely shouldn't exploit Takahashi-kun."

"I'm not exploiting him." Usami snapped, getting irritated with his friend, now.

The two hadn't had many fights throughout their many years being friends, but what needed to be said needed to be said, Kamijou felt.

"And just because you've had sex with someone doesn't give you the right to put them in those books!"

Usami huffed. "Why're you so upset about it all the sudden? You never complained about me putting you in those books before."

Misaki's eyes widened. 'Does that mean Usagi-san had sex with Kamijou-sensei?!'

"Well, first of all, I'VE COMPLAINED COUNTLESS TIMES!" Kamijou snapped, reaching for the Junai Romantica novel to throw at Usami, but Usami slid it away, just in time, thus proving how well he knew the other man. "…Second of all, this is different! That poor boy is probably really truly, deeply in love with you! Just don't go sleeping with him and doing things if you don't truly mean it!"

"…" Usami put out his cigarette and folded his arms, eyes narrowing on Kamijou for a moment.

For that moment, all was silent, and Kamijou felt something throb in his chest. He grit his teeth together, swallowing, nervously. '…Shit…'

"…Is there something we should discuss, Hiroki?" Usami asked, and Kamijou quickly averted his gaze.

"…All that I wanted to discuss in regard to that matter has already been said." He huffed. "…If you're going to love Takahashi-kun, love him with all your heart and make sure he knows you love him, that's all… that and…"

Usami's eyes narrowed. After that one time, they'd never really spoken about it again… Kamijou was about the second person he'd ever had sex with, (6) but he had assumed that his childhood friend had had sex before, so he hadn't thought too much of it when Kamijou had offered, nor when Kamijou had brushed off the subject when he'd tried to confront him about it… Then, during their first confrontation after _that time_; Kamijou seemed as though it didn't bother him, though it was hard to tell. They didn't get to talk much before that giant of a teenager made his presence known, possessively enveloping Kamijou in an unsuspected hug and professing that he would take care of Usami's friend from now on…

He may or may not have considered the possibility that before that incident, Kamijou Hiroki had held some type of feelings of… of _love_ for him… certain things the other man said while drunk may have implied prior feelings, but Usami was never the type to really give much attention to anyone other than Takahiro… at that time.

"That and…" Hiroki continued. "…and loving someone doesn't mean putting them in smutty things or making them uncomfortable, you know!!! Anyway, I came to ask you about something… err… _for_ something…"

"Eh?" Usami blinked, dismissing all prior thoughts.

"The thing is… my… l-lover wants to go to Ontario Canada… his birthday is in two weeks, so I've tried all I can to make it happen, but… the thing is, if I just buy the tickets, he'll find out somehow or another… so… I sort of… need to request a favor from you…"

"Ontario Canada?" Usami asked, confused. "What does he want to do there? Get married?"

"He just wants to see the Niagara falls!" Kamijou snapped, face flushing.

"…I can name like ten movies that show the Niagara falls…" Usami blinked. "…Are you _sure_ he doesn't want-"

"We can't get married, _Bakahiko_, we're **gay**!"

"But in Canada-"

"Look, if you help me, I'll give you an idea for your stupid smut novels!"

"Ooooh…" Usami smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "Now _you_ want to be my inspiration."

'…' Kamijou blushed. "Not ME! I came up with a brand new idea!"

"Ah- you want to be a co-creator?"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO USE MY NAME, HELL NO! YOU CAN HAVE THIS IDEA! ALL RIGTHS ARE YOURS!!! I JUST CAME UP WITH A TITLE!"

"…I wouldn't be a good author if I wrote a book based off of the inspiration of another person without including their name."

"Well, I have a feeling that both Takahashi-kun and I would both feel tremendously better if you used us as inspiration and DIDN'T use our names."

"…So you _do _like it that I use you in my novels?"

"WHAT?! WHEN DID I SAY THAT?!!"

"What's your title?" Usami continued, taking another drink of tea.

"I got it from the professor I work with. It's-"

"Is he gay?" Usami smirked. "I bet your lover loooves that."

"…He claims he's not, but he's going out with this little terrorist brat and- THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!"

"Ah, I've been thinking of writing about a third couple…"

"No, not a couple." Kamijou huffed, folding his arms and looking away.

"Eh?"

"Homo-harem!" Kamijou raised a finger, smirking.

"…" Usami just stared at Kamijou, blankly.

"…That way, you can write about a bunch of different 'hunky' guys and maybe leave Takahashi-kun and I alone, let your fantasies run wild, and-"

"…I hate it, it's awful." Usami lit another cigarette after snubbing the other.

"Huh, I thought you'd like it…" Kamijou brought a hand up to his chin, thoughtfully. "Since you're gay and have slept with countless people."

Usami looked up, sharply at that little comment, huffing. "I have NOT slept with countless people! Jeez, you're worse than Misaki, thinking I only slept with him as a replacement for his brother."

"Ah…" Kamijou blinked, falling silent. He hesitated before blurting: "…That better not be the reason you are with that poor boy, just like it was in my case--!!!"

"…" Usami brought a hand up to his temples, annoyed. 'So this has been an underlying issue we've never addressed…'

"Ah… Aki… Akihiko…" Kamijou whispered, standing.

"Mm?" Usami glanced at him, and his eyes widened. Kamijou was also staring, wide-eyed, but not at him, at someone behind him.

Usami turned, quickly, taking note in the fact that Misaki was standing behind them, fists bawled at his sides, a very hurt expression on his face. "…Misaki…"

"Ah… gomen…" Misaki apologized. "…I heard one thing… and I couldn't stop listening… that was… very wrong of me…"

"…" Kamijou swallowed, nervously. Normally, his first reaction would be to admonish the rude student for eves dropping, but in this particular case, he felt completely at fault for everything that had been said and heard. "…Takahashi-kun… I've said too much… I should apologize…"

"Usagi-san… " Misaki's hands trembled. "…Is that true? How many people have you slept with because you couldn't touch niichan?" Tears welled in his eyes. "Did you use Kamijou-sensei…? It must be obvious to you that he was in love with you at one time by the way he talks about you!"

Kamijou felt his chest tighten, and he began trembling, too. His heart was pounding. The first person to understand his feelings about exactly what happened and it was this student?! This boy who could barely grasp the fundamentals of literature?!

"…Usagi-san… Tell me… that you aren't just using me, too…" Misaki whispered.

"Misaki…" Usami frowned before gasping sharply as Kamijou slapped Misaki across the face.

Misaki raised his hand to his cheek in pain, gawking at his teacher.

"…If you're so easy to sense the emotions of others, then why can't you sense how Akihiko feels about you? He said he fell in love with you because of that ability… I can see it, too, now…" He wiped one of Misaki's tears away, but studied it at the tip of his finger. "These tears are very powerful, Takahashi-kun…"

Indeed, these same tears were the tears that made Nowaki fall in love with Kamijou. Tears that fell due to the pain Kamijou felt from his unrequited love for Akihiko.

"So if you're so good at sensing the pain of others, then you must be the type to hate to cause others pain, right? Especially to those you love… So don't cause Akihiko any pain by doubting him because you can't sense the feelings of love he has for you. Akihiko… loves you."

Misaki blinked, hand lowering.

"…I was wrong to question it…" Kamijou continued, frowning. "I was just jumping to conclusions based on superficial things… But looking back, retrospectively; his personality, the way he carries himself, the way he speaks, _everything_ has changed since he met you- he smiles more… and he's definitely happier… so… _I_ should be the one to apologize… for voicing my own shallow assumptions…"

"And for hitting Misaki!"

"…Kamijou-sensei…" Misaki blinked, blush dying down a little. "…I want to say I'm sorry if you were hurt by Usagi-san in any way… but I think Usagi-san and you should work that out on your own… Ah-!!! I'm also very very sorry for eves dropping on your conversation! That's like the kind of thing an elementary school GIRL would do and I'm very ashamed!"

"And for inviting Hiroki inside while the place is such a mess." Usami nodded.

"WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?! I TOLD YOU I'M NOT CLEANING UP THIS MESS, IT'S ALL YOURS!!!" Misaki wailed, pointing at him. "I absolutely REFUSE to touch even one thing! YOU clean it!"

Kamijou looked around. "…I think… I_ won't_ ask… and I think I'd better get going…"

"Ah- do you need a ride?!" Misaki asked, quickly. "You had a ride here from the school; you must live even further away!"

"I can catch the subway… Thank you for having me over… I'm sorry to have imposed so much…"

"You didn't impose… I take it you and Usagi-san are childhood friends… if that's so, then… after I pass your class, then… Kamijou-sensei, let's be friends, too!"

"IF you pass my class." Kamijou offered a light joke so as to reassure Misaki that he accepted the offer.

"Hiroki… I'll see what I can do about that wedding ticket." Usami interrupted.

"IT'S NOT FOR A WEDDING, BAKAHIKO!"

"Bakahiko… I like it." Misaki thought, aloud.

"…So nice of you to drop by, you should really come by again sometime." Usami ushered Kamijou out the door before slamming it closed and turning to Misaki, who raised Kamijou's briefcase.

Three knocks sounded at the door and Usami huffed, opening it and holding the briefcase out for his childhood friend.

"…Thank you for the tea…" Kamijou huffed, bitterly.

"We'll talk again when Misaki is outside a three mile radius, Hiroki. There seems to be a few things that you and I need to resolve."

"Ah… yes…" Kamijou's gaze fell to the ground and he took his briefcase before heading off.

Usami closed the door and let out a soft sigh before turning to Misaki, who was busying himself with cleaning up.

"Misaki…"

"You're right… I shouldn't have let anyone see the house like this…" Misaki mumbled.

"Misaki-"

"Ah- and I'm sorry for listening in… I really shouldn't have-"

"Misaki, listen to me."

"…" Misaki stood up straight, crumpling a piece of paper in his hand. "…I'm listening…"

"…What had happened was complicated… and it was before I ever met you… "

Misaki watched his lover, eyes cast down onto the floor, as if he was ashamed that it had ever happened, and as though he felt a tremendous amount of guilt about it…

"…I'll end up telling you a lot of things that will be hard for me to tell you, I'm sure, as time passes and as we remain together, forever, I'd like to hope… but this will be one of the harder things I end up having to tell you, Misaki… after everything I have to say… I hope you won't think me to be ugly… I hope you'll still love me…"

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki's gaze softened.

"And I'll have you know, Hiroki was the one who suggested it… not… that it makes it any less horrible…"

"…" Misaki sat down, sighing as though he was releasing the tension with his sigh. He looked up at Usami, smiling brightly, (or trying his best, anyway) and patting the seat beside him. "…Usagi-san…"

"…It was six years ago…" Usami sat beside him, still a bit nervous. "He put a blindfold on me, and told me that if I were to just… do it… without seeing… that it would be like holding Takahiro in my arms… that I could pretend it was Takahiro… I'm sorry I did such a thing… not only was it dishonoring to Takahiro… but… _Hiroki_… I now realize it must have hurt Hiroki a hundred times more than it hurt me."

"…I think so, too…" Misaki reached up, wrapping his arms around his lover from the side and resting his cheek against Usami's shoulder. "…But you were friends for a long time before… and a long time afterward… so… I think… even though you've both been hurt… you should still be friends afterward, right?"

"…Just because you're friends with someone doesn't necessarily mean you've forgiven them." Usami muttered, bitterly.

"…Do you forgive Kamijou-sensei?"

"It's not a matter of me forgiving Hiroki… Hiroki… hasn't done anything wrong! He only… wanted to pretend for a few moments… just like I had…"

" I… I don't think so…" Misaki mumbled, softly. "…I think it's more like… he was hoping his feelings would reach you…"

Usami's eyes narrowed, sadly. "…I think you might be more observant than most people would think, Misaki."

"…" Misaki nodded before huffing. "Hey, what's _**that**_ supposed to mean?! You're a writer! A LOVE novelist! You're the one who should have been able to sense how he was feeling, besides, how do you know someone THAT long and never pick up on those kinds of signals anyway?!"

"Don't get cocky, Misaki, I've professed my undying love to you from the start, but not everyone is as straight-forward or direct as I am."

"…Yeah… Kamijou-kyoujyu seems way less direct and straightforward… of course, you're borderline blunt, Usagi-chan-sensei…" He nuzzled Usami's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him and Usami smiled, turning to him.

"…You're being affectionate."

"Eh?! Because… I can sense your sadness, too, Usagi-san… and when Usagi-san is sad, unhappy, or in pain… well… me, too… I'll be the same way…"

"…In that case, I love you, Misaki."

"Mmm?"

"Now feel the same and say it back." Usami kissed him on the lips.

"…I do feel the same… I love me! Ahahaha… and I love Usagi-san, too, when he doesn't make messes…" he rubbed the back of his head, blushing deeply. "…I'm only being openly affectionate because you're sad! Got it?!"

"…Woe is me…" Usami was now on the other side of the room, leaning on a wall for support, back of his fist pressed to his eyes as though he were crying.

"YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE WAYS!!!" Misaki bellowed before huffing and glancing at the window. "…Ah…!!! Usagi-san! It's raining!"

"Yes, God is making it rain to add to my unhappy atmosphere…" Usami was now crouched in a dark corner, face buried in his knees.

"…You are so selfish! Be serious." Misaki placed his fists on his hips. "And get your keys out! Kamijou-sensei is walking in the rain, and he must be incredibly miserable and lonely after everything that's just happened!"

"Ah…" Usami looked up, face serious, (though he was hard to take seriously, since he was still in that obnoxious pouting position), "That's true… Hiroki is probably out there in the rain… I should offer him a ride to his place or to the subway, at least… perhaps the two of us should have that talk now…"

"…Call him first to find out where he is." Misaki suggested and Usami pulled out his cell, dialing Kamijou's number.

"…Hiroki… pick up… pick up… ah- Hiroki? Is it raining?"

Misaki glared at his idiot lover. Of COURSE it was raining… and hard, too!

" . . . Don't lie! I'm looking out the window! … Ah- you got a ride? From who? Who in the hell is that? You're only an Associate professor? Get a real job so you can buy yourself a damn car. You're not lying about having a ride are you? …No, I do not want to talk to him if he's some crazed fan! If I find out you're lying, though, I'll definitely- no! Do NOT put a fan on the phone! I'm hanging up!" He hung up, annoyed.

"Miyagi Kyoujyu found him again?" Misaki asked.

"Ah, so this guy DOES exist?" Usami huffed.

"But he isn't a fan, really… he just seemed interested in you…" Misaki stated, confused.

"Everyone's a 'huge fan' as soon as the prospect of actually meeting someone pops up… anyway… Misaki… are you thinking any bad thoughts about me?" Usami asked, placing his hands on Misaki's shoulders.

"A lot…" Misaki admitted. "But not many more than the usual ones… and most of them are related to this mess…"

"I guess I should help… Aikawa sort of took it a little too far…" Usami admitted, staring, glumly, at the knocked over shelves and the chaotic contents of the room in its entirety.

"Aikawa-san must have been hiding out for me and that's how you knew she was there… still, what an extremely intricate plan to go through just to tie me up… from now on, Usagi-san… if you want to do things that are… well… err… what… some might refer to as… um..."

"Kinky." Usami was turned away, cleaning, but Misaki could HEAR the smirk in his somewhat sadistic lover's voice.

"Err-! Yeah… if you want to do… _kinky_ things… then… can't we talk about it? Because… getting tied up is… well… let's just say it's something I _might_ agree to… whereas the whole videotaping thing… that's… that's **NOT** something I would agree to, and I'm still a little mad at you for that! If you do something even though I ask you not to… it makes me a little… worried… and after the tying up thing… and videotaping thing… it makes me think that you might be into WORSE things… like… you know…"

"Ah- I'll make it clear right now… I'm not into S&M."

"AH-!!!" Misaki's face went pink.

"And I'm also not into bodily fluids, like urine, or feces."

"UAAAH!!!" Misaki's face went red.

"I'm also not really into feet, I never really got that… and I had this friend who was into armpits, that's just kind of- Misaki?"

Misaki's face was now a light shade of blue, and he had goose bumps all over.

"…What? I said I'm NOT into those things!!! Oh, and as for cross dressing-"

"FORGET IT!!! It's bad enough I've started THINKING like a woman!" Misaki fumed, storming up to his room and slamming the door closed. Usami smirked before frowning, glancing out the window at the rain.

'…I have this unsettling feeling…' He glanced down at the mess, kicking aside some papers and slowly picking up some random rope that was lying on the ground. '…And as for Misaki… I don't want to lose him, so… things like this… from now on, I'll stop when he says stop…'

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Kyaa, this has been much longer than the other two, almost longer than the other three! Twice as long, in fact… this is probably about the length they will be from now on… Next chapter is Egoist: More Angsty and Dramatic confrontations! Spoiler line from Miyagi:_"Uh oh, that's not the type of thing anyone who does nothing but GLARES should ever wear… you better look bright-eyed today, Kamijou! … I can see that's not going to happen, better get better soon, then…"_

**(1) : Kamijou having hit Misaki with an eraser instead of Sumi-sempai…** In the _Junjou & Junai Parallel Book (Doujinshi)'_ Sumi falls asleep in Kamijou's class and Misaki tries to wake him up, and then Sumi's cell phone goes off, Kamijou gets PISSED and throws things at Sumi, but everything intended to wake Sumi hits Misaki instead.

**(2) : Akikawa Yayoi…** is Usami Akihiko's pen name (for his Junai smut novels Romantica and Egoist)

**(3) and (4) : {Misaki: '… maybe the friend that lived across the street that Sebastia- err… Tanaka-san…' }**

In volume 3, Egoist Act 07, Hiroki mentions that he had lived across the street from Usami, (well, that his parents' and Usami's parents' houses are across the street from one another) so yes; the childhood friend that Tanaka-san had told Misaki about in volume 6 was indeed Kamijou Hiroki. When Misaki accidentally calls Tanaka "Sebastian-" it's because, in that same volume (6), he visited Usami's house and realized that all of his assumptions from vol 1 (ie: the long-haired dog named Alexander, the red sports car, the bad relationship with his older brother, etc.) were true, he even guessed the name of the cat right, so when he saw the Usami butler, he pointed at him and yelled: "SEBASTIAN!" implying that that was what his name was. 'Sebastian' then promptly corrects Misaki, informing him that his name is actually 'Tanaka.'

**(5) : Concept Mapping…** I haven't had a literature class yet (next semester- yay…) so I asked my friend what she was currently learning in her lit class and she said she'd just learned about something called Concept Mapping… so I just threw that in there. Pretty tacky, I know.

**(6) : The second person Usami has had sex with… **I pretty much just took a wild stab in the dark on this one… In both vol.1 as well as episode 1 (manga and anime) Misaki assumes that Usami was molested by someone who was somewhat of a private tutor and had a brother-like relationship with Usami and Usami confirms that this did indeed happen (stating that if this news ever became public, the media would be all over it.) I can't say that Usami never had sex after that until being somewhat seduced by Hiroki, but that's why I threw the word 'about' in there. Some fans theorize that the one who molested Usami was Haruhiko, his older brother (because of what Misaki said about the brotherly relationship) but personally, I think it was either the person who lived next door to Usami (the one who taught him to kiss someone to get them to calm down, a stunt he uses on Hiroki in Junjou minimum), or maybe even Sumi's father (a fellow-writer) or something randomly dramatic like that… (Heck, it could even be the new guy from vol 11, but I find that highly doubtful- I think that kid is closer to Misaki's age… judging by looks, so… who knows!)

**Chapter 5 Summary: **Hurray! Back to everyone's favorite: The Egoist couple! (Most everyone's, not mine.) Kamijou has a lot of reflecting to do after chapter 4, obviously, but after having walked home in the rain, he gets pretty sick… only to face even more confrontations at school… can't we give the poor guy a break? (Hell no.)

**Chapter 6 Summary: **Switch back to Terrorist Pair! (Takes place over the weekend) After taking some time to reflect on Nowaki's integrity and the depth of his feelings for his lover, Shinobu considers altering his career choice for the future, considering going into politics rather than law, and giving this prospect so much thought he misses a date with Miyagi. All is forgiven, but in the midst of… erm… 'forgiveness,' Risako walks in on the two… could Miyagi's job be at stake?

**Chapter 7 Summary: **Misaki asks Sumi-sempai for some advice regarding Usami's one-time fling with Kamijou, and ultimately decides to leave the past in the past, however, what happens if certain feelings aren't completely buried in the past? Misaki and Usami receive a call about Kamijou and head to the hospital…


	5. Egoist: Introspective Angsting

**AN: ((Sadly, I didn't meet my 10-review-per-chapter wish, but I don't like going too long without updating… I have a bad track record… so oh well. 8's not too bad.)) **

Ok, so, in this chapter, Kamijou Hiroki might seem a tad OOC certain parts, but that's because he's extremely sick and disoriented… (and using it to his advantage, to an extent… permitting himself to voice how he really feels without fears of repercussion- like in volume 3, which is referenced in this chapter). Not only is his immunity system down, but his defensive barriers are cracking away as well, under Miyagi's interrogations and his own angst-sessions. Enjoy.

**Warnings: **Yaoi, flashback sex, anal, oral, rim, curse-words, valley-girl words, etc. **… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**Chapter 5 Summary: **Miyagi confronts the Egoists separately about the seriousness of their relationship, and Hiroki struggles through his day with a bad case of pneumonia and angsts a bit about his reviving feelings for Usami Akihiko while in flashback-mode.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Junjou Romantica, Junai Romantica, Junai Egoist, or The Happening (movie 2008)

-..- . -..- This separates time differences or shows what's happening elsewhere.

... These encase flashbacks.

-..- . -..-

Chapter Five: Egoist: Introspective Angsting

-..- . -..-

-Monday 6B-

Damp… the pillow is damp…

"Hiro-san…"

'It's Monday, isn't it?'

"Hiro-saaan… it's not unusual after the tenth time, but…"

'Yes… because on Thursday, professor and his boy-toy came over for dinner, then Friday I had a bad hangover to which professor was actually sympathetic, and then he took me… and Takahashi Misaki… that's right… Kyoujyu took us to Akihiko's… and that's when my world fell apart again…'

"Hiro-san!!" Nowaki raised his voice, annoyed, pulling on his own jacket. "If you don't get up right now, you'll surely be late!"

Kamijou Hiroki, who usually had to be woken at least twenty times before he would actually awaken, had already been woken by his lover about fifty times this particular morning. Slowly, he lifted his head, glowering down at his damp pillow. "…Nowaki…"

"It's a good thing you showered last night, Hiro-san, you haven't got any time to eat, even, so I made you a quick breakfast that you might be able to eat at work." Nowaki huffed, raising Kamijou's briefcase. "…Hiro-san!!"

"I heard you already…" Kamijou huffed, rolling to the side of the futon and standing before crumpling to the floor.

"Ah…" Nowaki blinked, heading over and kneeling down. "…Hiro-san, are you feeling alright?" He reached for Kamijou's forehead and Kamijou knocked his hand away, darting into the bathroom.

"Don't make fun of me just because I'm not as good as you are at being a morning person or whatever!" Kamijou struggled to assert himself amidst his coughing fit.

"It's not about being a good morning person… you slept all day yesterday, you can't still be tired… are you still feeling sick, Hiro-san? Maybe you should call in?"

"Believe me; I'd like nothing more…" Kamijou came out, fully dressed (somehow) and ready… he was wearing a lower-face mask. "…Miyagi-kyoujyu will be there to tease me all day, Takahashi will be there, and… and… ACHU!!"

"…If you're sick, then call in sick." Nowaki huffed, holding Kamijou's briefcase away when he reached for it.

"Calling in sick is for kids!" Kamijou coughed some more, eyes shutting tightly and tearing up. "I'm not calling in sick just because I don't want to face certain things; I'm a man after all! I'll face my problems!"

"…But if you're sick, you're sick! Sick is sick, Hiro-san." Nowaki rationalized, holding Kamijou's briefcase away again and wrapping his arm around his lover, pulling him toward the door. "I know you're too stubborn to change your mind, though… so I'll carry your stuff to class for you."

"I don't need you to! (Cough) Besides, (Cough) you have work, right? (Seemingly endless coughing fit)You should-"

"…I'm on call today, so I thought I'd just go in on my own to see if they need anyone, but that you're sick makes me nervous… I'll bring you some hot chicken noodle soup for lunch, okay, Hiro-san? Can you have someone over for lunch?"

"Ah… that should be alright, you know where my office is, right? If Kyoujyu can sneak people inside, why not me?"

"Hiro-san… your coughing fits are so cute…"

"What the hell? Is that your way of flirting?!" Kamijou snapped, pointing at his mouth and nose mask. "No flirting, you don't want to get sick, do you?!"

He groaned, suddenly, clutching at his lower, right abdomen.

Nowaki's eyes flashed, a look of concern washing over his face. "Hiro-san?! What's the matter?!"

"…Nothing… just… my abs must hurt from coughing so much…"

"Ah!" Nowaki sparkled. "Hiro-san's stomach will be so--" He trailed off at the glower he was receiving. "Ah… Hiro-san, don't glare when it's only your eyes that are showing…"

"Sounds like the type of thing I'll be hearing all day with Professor Miyagi…" Kamijou inhaled for the first time in a million years (or so it felt) before promptly coughing up a lung once more.

"At least I can rest assured that that pervert boss of yours will keep his hands to himself." Nowaki locked up behind them. "That reminds me… Hiro-san, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"…What is it?" Kamijou asked, heading in the direction of the nearest store.

"…Hiro-san! You're going to work, remember?!"

"Ah- right…" Kamijou dazedly turned, shaking his head at his own force of habit. "I go to work more often than to the store, what an odd…" He trailed off, coughing. "…Err… what'd you want to talk to me about?"

Nowaki sighed. "Hiro-san, please call me if you need me to come and get you. I'll come get you right away."

"Mmm…"

"Anyway, Hiro-san… Takatsuki-kun told me that he's walked in on you and that professor Miyagi… 'fooling around' as he said… multiple times… I know he must have the wrong impression, but what did he-"

"YEP. That kid is _**way**_ too possessive…" Kamijou huffed before leaning against the nearest building as he coughed up his other lung.

"Hiro-san! CALL IN SICK, RIGHT NOW!" Nowaki commanded, fists balling at his sides as he fumed.

"NO!! MAKE ME!!" Kamijou shot back.

"Hiro-saaaan…" Nowaki glowered, seriously. "I don't like this! You obviously have pneumonia!"

"You don't KNOW that!"

"… WHAT DO YOU THINK I WAS STUDYING IN AMERICA FOR THAT WHOLE YEAR?!"

"…Oh, right… well it's walking pneumonia. That's the mildest form, right?" Kamijou folded his arms.

Nowaki huffed. "Just because you're walking while you have an _obviously _serious form of pneumonia doesn't mean it's walking pneumonia!"

"Err… anyway…" Kamijou peeled himself away from the wall, glancing at his watch. "You're overanalyzing things when it comes to Miyagi kyoujyu… he's just a touchy feely person is all… He's… sort of… a good friend."

HOOOONK

HOONK

HONK HONK HONK!!

"HONK if you see a coupla homos flirting on the side of the street!!"

Kamijou's face nearly imploded due to his glowering hard at the car that pulled up beside the two.

Nowaki arched a brow. "Yes, what a good friend…"

"Ha-ha-ha… I only did it because there's no one around! Yesterday when I called, Kusama-kun said you were feeling under the weather, so I thought I'd swing by and give you a lift to work! You work around here, doc?" Miyagi stuck his head out the window.

"…Ah… no… I was walking Hiro-san, that's all."

"…All the way to the school, then you're just gonna walk back? Now THAT'S devotion…" Miyagi blinked. 1

"Stop giving me rides everywhere! It makes me feel indebted to you." Kamijou huffed.

"Uaaah, Kamijou, that's what friends are for!" Miyagi smiled, brightly. Kamijou sensed an evil aura, but he wasn't sure if it was Miyagi's or-

Suddenly the back window rolled down and Kamijou made a face at the glowering high school boy whose eyes had caught his own.

"Shinobu-chin, respect the sick and elderly!" Miyagi chimed, glancing back.

"…You're particularly eccentric this morning… maybe you can overcompensate for me… Anyway, we're fine, sorry to make you waste your time." Kamijou waved bye-bye and Nowaki huffed, grabbing his wrist and yanking him over to the other side of the car, opening the door and pushing him inside, closing the door. "Thank you very much, Miyagi-san… please look after Hiro-san, since he's too stubborn to call in sick."

"Still sick, huh?" Miyagi noticed the face mask covering Kamijou's nose and mouth. "Uh oh, that's not the type of thing anyone who does nothing but GLARES should ever wear… you better look bright-eyed today, Kamijou! … I can see that's not going to happen, better get better soon, then…"

Kamijou muttered something that sounded suspiciously like; "I freakin' knew it…' as he buckled up.

Nowaki rounded the front of the car, heading to the driver's side and peering into Miyagi's window before leaning down to whisper. "Call me if he seems under the weather, okay?"

"I'm sitting three feet away; I can hear you perfectly well!" Kamijou yelled.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure he takes it easy!" Miyagi waved the matter away.

"Kusama-san, ohayo!" Shinobu leaned forward in his seat, smiling. "You want a ride anywhere?"

"Ah- that's… I'm on call today, so I'm just going to hang out near the hospital, you guys get to school and work- have a good day, Takatsuki-kun."

"Kusama-san, too."

"Yes, Kusama-san, too." Miyagi huffed before smiling. "But don't you want to give your beloved a kiss before you- "

"JUST GO." Kamijou snapped, pounding his fist down on Miyagi's thigh, making him step on the gas.

"GYAA!!"

"Nyeh." Kamijou glowered back at Shinobu. "And you! You have your own fossil of a boyfriend, brat."

"Don't infect my fossil of a boyfriend, 'kay?" Shinobu pulled away from Kamijou, huffing and folding his arms.

"'Fossil of a boyfriend' is sitting _**right here…**_" Miyagi huffed as he drove. "Kamijou, your face, what I can see of it, seems to be red… you don't look too good, maybe you really should stay home…"

"Why were you trying to call me yesterday?" Kamijou huffed. "Since when are we buddies outside of school?"

"So you're buddies inside school? What kind of buddies?" Shinobu huffed, leaning forward yet again.

"That's not at all what I meant." Kamijou snapped, pulling his mask away as a threat and pretending to cough. Shinobu pulled back against his seat, withdrawing into the farthest corner of the back of the car and as far away from Kamijou as possible.

"We've been buddies since you invited us over for dinner. From now on, we're… what was the English colloquial term you used, Shinobu-chin?"

"BFF's." Shinobu muttered, sinking down in his seat with embarrassment. He knew saying such a thing in front of his lover was a baaad idea.

"Yes. We're BFF's, Kamijou-tentei."

"I don't know what that is or means, but if you ever say it again, I'll hit you."

"Shinobu-chin, give me that article!"

"Right now?" Shinobu huffed, pulling a piece of newspaper out of his pocket.

"Look here, Kamijou!" Miyagi grabbed it from Shinobu and handed it over to Kamijou. "What do you think?"

"…It's going to rain tomorrow… so what? It's been raining all week…" Kamijou muttered.

"No! Turn it around!" Miyagi huffed.

Kamijou turned the small clip from a newspaper around, studying the other side. "…Gay marriage…? Oh jeez… are you suddenly on a homo kick now that you've FINALLY realized that you are one?"

"I'm not a homo!"

"Idiot." Shinobu and Kamijou snapped in unison.

"Anyway, didn't you ever think or hope that you'd one day get married, Kamijou?" Miyagi huffed.

"Eh? Not really… I've known I was gay since I was ten years old."

"But this article shows that gay men CAN get married." Shinobu huffed.

"…Oh… that…" Kamijou averted his gaze. "…That's really none of your business…"

"That was my school, Miyagi!" Shinobu snapped, suddenly.

"Eh? We're going to Mitsuhashi University." Miyagi teased.

"What about me?!"

"Sorry, kid, one stop only." Kamijou stated before coughing.

"Eww, let me out before he infects me…" Shinobu whined.

Miyagi pulled up to the front of the school. "Alright, play nice with the other kiddies, don't show them yours just because they offer to show you theirs."

"…And you _live_ with that?" Kamijou huffed. "Of your own volition?"

"No, I live next door, but… yeah, pretty much." Shinobu grabbed his things and got out as Miyagi waved goodbye.

Kamijou huffed as they drove off.

Miyagi glanced at him, annoyed. "Ka-miii-jyou, I can feel your body heat from over here!"

"Are you hitting on me two minutes after we dropped off your boyfriend?"

"Not hitting on you!! I'm saying you shouldn't be going to school! The week I got you off to visit your ill grandmother… _quote unquote_… is something I managed to take care of, but if you're sick, that won't take from your week off you know…"

"Professor, my students have paid good money to attend my classes, their education depends on me! In any case, calling in sick is for immature and childi… WAIT! IT _WON'T_?! FUCK! THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I CAME IN!!"

"… In any case, isn't making up a lie as to why you want a week off so that you can spend it with your ever-precious boyfriend just as childish and immature?" Miyagi muttered under his breath.

"Uuuug… you should have told me before!"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of you! Besides, you should have called in! You have to put your own health before all else, Kamijou, it's only human!"

"Aaaah… well we also have some kind of meeting today, right?"

"…That's next Monday, you're missing it since you'll be off, but it's fine."

"Ah…" Kamijou sank down in his seat.

"…Kamijou, didn't something happen this weekend for you to suddenly get sick?"

"…" Kamijou frowned, glancing down at his hands. "…It's nothing for you to concern yourself with, Miyagi Kyoujyu… I'll do my best not to bring my personal life to work."

"…Guys like you…" Miyagi trailed off, huffing.

"…" Kamijou blinked. "Eh?"

"…That guy of yours… Kusama-san…"

"…" Kamijou stared at his superior, expectantly.

"…You know… I understand and respect what the two of you have… as confusing and undefined as it is… but… there shouldn't have to be only one single person for you to confide in…"

"…?" Kamijou stared, confused. "…Kyoujyu…"

"…"

"Just what is it… that you… want from me?" Kamijou's brow twitched. "Giving me car rides, getting me a week off from work, being so kind… and what's with this article?"

"…The truth is…"

"Yes…?"

"…I want to deepen our relationship…"

"Eh?!"

"…Being what we are… isn't enough for me anymore…" Miyagi muttered.

"…Eh?!" Kamijou gawked, eye twitching.

"…I'm no longer going to be satisfied with merely being your BFF. From now on, we shall be BFF—AE-AE-AE!" 2

"…I don't know what you're talking about, but I think, despite my fever of one hundred and four degrees, you're the one who is definitely sick… in the hea-"

"A HUNDRED AND FOUR DEGREES?!" Miyagi gawked at him.

"WATCH THE ROAD!"

"UAAAAH!"

The car screeched and swerved, barely missing a frazzled Sumi… 3

-..- . -..-

Kamijou groaned as he sank down into his seat. "…Lunch time… my new favorite part of the day…"

"You shouldn't be here." Miyagi sang, for the sixteenth time that day, entering their office and kicking the door closed with his heel, passing Kamijou with a stack of books.

"What're those?" Kamijou asked, eyes darting over to the unusual colors and size.

"These are manga." Miyagi told him, readying to throw them away.

"MANGA?" Kamijou gawked. "What the hell for?!"

"Some punk went and put them in the library… I wasn't going to say anything… since I figured it'd get you even madder… but then I did for some reason… guess I forgot… aaah, old age can really do a number on your memory…" Miyagi set them down and Kamijou took them up into his hold, furiously.

"You WANT to upset me?! …I'll find out who did it! What kind of college student reads this kind of stuff?"

"I called Shinobu. He seemed familiar with them… guess they're more popular among the younger generation… he said, based off of the titles I gave him, that it was probably a girl."

"A girl?! Are you sure? It's usually guys who are the punks." Kamijou muttered before bursting into a fit of coughing yet again.

Miyagi's eyes narrowed on his subordinate. "…I need to practice singing…"

"…Practice singing?" Kamijou looked up after he'd finished coughing. He arched a brow confused. "Why do you say such random-"

"But in choir class when I was but a young boy, they had us practice by singing in Gojuuon order from… something… to o. How does it go…? Something… ii… uu.. ee.. ooh… then something… ki ku ke ko… then something… shi su se so…" 4

"That's something an ELEMENTARY STUDENT WOULD KNOW! IT'S **'AH!'**" Kamijou opened his mouth and Miyagi stuck a thermometer inside. Kamijou, realizing what he'd walked into, clamped his mouth closed around the device and glowered daggers at his boss.

"Look, so you don't feel lonely, I'll put something in my mouth, too!" Miyagi stuck a cigarette in his own mouth. Kamijou glared harder.

After a moment, the thermometer beeped and Miyagi pulled it out, taking a look. "…You should be in bed… or maybe even a hospital, Kamijou."

"Yeah, says who?!" Kamijou turned, picking up one of the manga his superior had taken from the library and flipping through it, curiously with one hand, his other clutching at his abdominals, to the right of his navel.

"The thermometer, that's who."

"He doesn't know me." Kamijou muttered, swaying from side to side before standing, gesturing to one of the manga. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this…"

"…There's something I've been subtly and tactfully trying to bring up all day, but you're the type of person who I think… needs to have serious topics addressed with a straightforward attitude, so… here goes:"

"What now? Leave me alone." Kamijou huffed, grabbing a scroll off of his desk and heading over to the shelf to replace it.

"It's about Kusama-san."

"Why do you insist on bringing up things from my personal life at work? It's inappropriate conversation for this professional atmosphere."

"Professional… atmosphere…?" Miyagi glanced from the mountains of books that littered their floor and Kamijou's desk, to the random books and papers strewn about the floor messily from Miyagi's mini sulking-tantrums.

Kamijou also looked around, taking note in what his boss was implying.

"…Regardless, I don't feel comfortable discussing those types of things with you anymore, you always make fun of me and we end up in awkward situations and someone always walks in, usually your brat boyfriend." Kamijou huffed.

"…Boyfriend…" Miyagi made a face at the name. "…I like lover, better, has a nice ring to it, huh? How about you, Kamijou? What do you consider Kusama-san to be? After six years, you're practically common law-"

"Woosh." Kamijou raised his hand in the air and struck it past the top of his head. "Why is it always in one ear and out the other with you? Professor?"

"Lovers? Boyfriends? Husbaaaand?" Miyagi smirked from around his cigarette.

Kamijou stared at the cigarette between his boss' teeth. He remembered when Akihiko had begun smoking… he himself had tried it once because his childhood friend asked him if he wanted to give it a try, and he had coughed so loud they'd been caught…

Oddly, he began coughing again, but not at the memory. When he stopped, he sighed.

Suddenly, Miyagi's hand pressed against his own, which was currently holding his stomach.

"Are you pregnant with his child, Kamijou?" Miyagi smirked. "Or having cramps? You do seem the type to PMS all the time, and since you're the woman of that relationship-"

"WHAT?! THERE IS NO WOMAN! Uaah…" Kamijou's face went even redder than before.

Miyagi laughed, softly, tilting his head to the side and spitting out his cigarette. It landed smoothly in the trash can.

"…You know…" Kamijou suddenly thought up a term his good friend Usami Akihiko had once

taught him, and in an attempt to change the subject, he blurted; "You taught me a so-called colloquial term today, let me teach you one from England. The word 'fag' means cigarette, but in American English, it's a slang term for-"

Miyagi's free hand suddenly slammed against the wall at the side of Kamijou's face and he jumped, slightly, startled and looking up at his boss, nervously.

"…" Miyagi raised his hand up, ripping the mouth and nose cover off of Kamijou's face and glaring at him with a stern look. "…Quit dodging the subject, and dismissing me."

"…K-professor…" Kamijou glared. "What is it?! Why is it concerning you so much?"

"You need to get a clue, Kamijou." Miyagi huffed, raising his head more and looking down on Kamijou with a condescending stare, his hand going back to covering Kamijou's. "Don't get fooled into thinking that going out with a younger lover gives you any reason to act young and naïve yourself. You need to take a good hard look at your relationship and figure out where you two stand. If it's been six years and you STILL don't know, then what kind of relationship is that?"

"…" Kamijou stared at his boss, shocked. "…What?"

"Something's been bugging you. Something happened over the weekend. I called Kusama-san later on Friday around six to make sure you'd gotten home okay, and when I called back around ten, you still hadn't gotten home yet. Then, when I called on Sunday, you were sleeping all day because you'd caught a fever or some crap. Now you're quite apparently sick. I don't know if you walked home in the rain on Friday or what, but… and…" He stammered for a moment, unsure as to whether he should voice his suspicions or not.

Kamijou continued staring at him… both of him… uh-oh, double-vision wasn't a good sign… He resisted the urge to literally shake off his dizziness, and focused on what his superior was saying.

"…I've noticed, too…" Miyagi continued, "That you always speak highly of Usami Akihiko… This may not be any of my business, so I won't ask you about _that_, though I am more than willing to listen if you need to talk about it… anyway, every time something big happens with you and your love life, it clearly affects your work ethic. As your boss, it's frustrating… as your friend, it's disheartening. I got that week off for you, knowing it had something to do with your guy. If you don't get everything straightened out over that week, I'll be really pissed off. Figure it out and put two and two together, already."

Kamijou stared, shocked at his boss. He didn't know whether this was some kind of joke or not, but Miyagi seemed serious…

"…Another thing…" Miyagi glanced down for a moment. "Why does it hurt, here?"

"…Eh?" Kamijou looked up.

"If it's from coughing, it should hurt in your upper abdominals… trust me, I know. The lower abs are the hardest to shape." He made a face. "…Anyway… put two and two together already."

"…Two and two together?" Kamijou asked, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's why I said to figure it out." Miyagi smirked, leaning closer to whisper to him. "…Because Shinobu-chin told me how Kusama-san feels about you."

Kamijou blinked before blushing. "That's…"

"And I know you well enough to know you feel the same way." Miyagi huffed, not bothering to whisper anymore.

"Feel the same way about what?" Another large hand slammed against the wall, this time between their faces. Miyagi felt his face go pale as Kusama Nowaki glowered daggers into the back of his head.

Kamijou stiffened before sighing. "Nowaki… oh, right… you said you'd bring me lunch… did they need you at work?"

Nowaki glanced distrustfully from Kamijou to Miyagi before huffing, handing Kamijou the soup. "Was Takatsuki-san right? Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"Fear not, Kusama-san, for my deepest of affection for Kamijou-tentei is but a one-sided love…" Miyagi raised the back of his hand to his forehead, dramatically.

"HE'S JOKING!!" Kamijou panicked, wrapping his arms around a furious-looking Nowaki and coughing again, pulling away and looking for his discarded mask.

"I was actually just about to call you, since Hi-ro-ki here seems to be about ready to pass out." Miyagi huffed, folding his arms.

"WHAT?!" Kamijou snapped, annoyed.

"Didn't look like you were getting ready to call me…" Nowaki muttered, bitterly, arms wrapped around Kamijou's waist.

"I was." Miyagi raised his phone. All but the last digit had been entered in Nowaki's cell phone number. "I even just got permission from the dean."

"UAAAH!!" Kamijou gawked, feeling a sense of betrayal.

"But before you take him home…Let's talk alone, Kusama-kun!" Miyagi grabbed Nowaki by the sleeve, tugging him out. Nowaki blinked, glancing back at Kamijou, who gawked, eye twitching.

"What're you guys doing?! Where're you-?!"

"Don't worry, Kamijou! We'll be back in five minutes!"

"Stay out of my life, professor…" Kamijou huffed, opening the soup box and smelling it, tossing his torn mask. He had more masks in this mess of an office, somewhere, anyway…

Though none of the masks he wore in this office ever seemed to fool his ever-perceptive superior…

"_You always speak highly of Usami Akihiko…"_

Kamijou glared at the soup, thinking of his boss' words. 'Idiot Professor is… more observant than he seems… that's my fault for opening my big mouth, but it's not my fault that I like Akihiko's works…'

Akihiko's works…?

"_Ooooh…" Usami smirked. "Now you want to be my inspiration."_

Kamijou flushed deeply. 'No… not anymore… wait a minute, looking back on it, if I had gotten together with Akihiko- he probably would have put me in all sorts of those stories!! … Ah, but he already does, I guess… oh, but Takahashi-kun is probably used more than I am… Better Takahashi-kun than me… what a horrible thing to think- all of it! I shouldn't even look at that sort of thing retrospectively! I have Nowaki, and if it's not Nowaki- I'll die! …I know that…'

He lowered his gaze to the soup, taking the bowl into his hands. The heat warmed them and he held it for a moment. 'Nowaki… his hands are warm… there's no doubt, I love Nowaki… why does it hurt so much, even still, when I think of Akihiko? It's just that… he gave up on Takahiro… and then fell in love with another guy… I think there might always be a part of me that loves Akihiko and would wonder why, if it could be another guy, why couldn't it be me? But I hate myself for having that very thought!! It's still odd, no matter how you look at it, though, Akihiko going out with Takahiro's brother… I never would have seen that coming… but I guess Akihiko likes them young, like Miyagi-professor… I guess, technically, I'm dating someone younger, too…' He made a face.

His eyes closed and he thought back to that Friday afternoon; reflecting…

...

-Friday 4C-

Kamijou closed the door behind himself. He inhaled deeply before blinking as a drop of water tapped him on the nose.

'Why does it always rain during times like these?' Without hesitating, he took off in a wild sprint. He had to hurry before Usami or Takahashi noticed that it was raining and offered him a ride or something.

He didn't make it too far before he received a call on his cell from Usami. He played it off as though Miyagi had offered him a ride home, knowing Misaki would probably confirm the identity of Kamijou's boss, and he walked on in the rain. He didn't have an umbrella, but by now it was too late for him to care, he was completely soaked…

He walked on like that for a while, wet, sulking, hating himself, engaged deeply in introspection; trying to figure out why he felt the way he did, why he did the things he did, why he thought the way he did…

He sneezed and sniffled, not crying, but probably coming down with something… Thunder crackled over his head and he flinched as he tried walking closer to the sides of buildings when he could.

'Just like that time… raining again…' Kamijou stuffed his hands in his pockets, struggling with his feelings, which were currently overwhelming him. 'I'll be sure to carry an umbrella with me everywhere I go from now on…'

It was getting dark… not metaphorically- but the sun was actually gone by now… It seemed as though the clouds had not only hidden the sun, but swallowed it whole… Kamijou wondered, for a brief moment, how long he had been out in this rain…

'Why are old memories, old feelings suddenly rushing back? Crashing down over me, harder than this stinging rain?' He thought as he walked along the empty sidewalk. He had taken the long route to the bus station, only to walk instead. He couldn't face Nowaki as he was. He had thought he'd buried these feelings for Akihiko long ago, laid them to rest when he'd realized his feelings for his lover, but here they were, resurrected and flooding through him yet again.

'So he went and fell in love with Takahiro's brother, the boy he had, at one time, been so jealous of, huh?' Kamijou thought, bitterly. 'Wasn't Akihiko graduating when that kid was… in elementary school?! …Despite the age difference… no…' He released his tightened fists. 'Akihiko really did seem sincerely in love with that boy… and Takahashi Misaki… seemed to be really hurt at the thought of Akihiko… doing that with anyone else… What must Takahashi Misaki think of me, now? Surely, Akihiko's told him by now that I was the one to seduce him… to pretend to take the place of Takahashi-kun's older brother in Akihiko's bed… yet, he must have figured that already on his own, based on what I had said, right? …Yet he… he understood my feelings… somehow sensed how much it had hurt me… That boy… I guess he really is something special…' He sneezed. 'For someone who can't even grasp the fundamentals of-'

"Watch out!"

'Eh?!" Kamijou looked up, just in time to take notice in the huge car that was speeding toward him, about nine feet away. His eyes widened and he was tugged backward just in time to avoid becoming street-pizza, though he felt as though he'd been hit by something across his leg or punched in the gut…

He wasn't dead… and he was standing here, someone's hand clinging to the back of his drenched shirt… So for now, he simply tried to register what had happened.

Staring after the car in somewhat of a frozen state, he slowly glanced backward at his rescuer, who was sort of… supporting him from behind.

"…Is it a literature thing to have your head in the clouds? No, that can't be, Misaki's not really much of a lit whizz… Guess I should expect to be doing one of these a week…" Sumi helped his professor to stand up straight and rubbed the back of his head, stepping closer to his teacher and holding the umbrella above his head. "Ah… are you alright?"

"…" Kamijou just stared at him, blankly.

"…Err… you don't look too good, professor… and you're soaking wet… if you need a ride somewhere, I'm almost home…"

"…Do I know you?" Kamijou blinked, and Sumi gawked.

"We saw each other only a little over six hours ago!"

"Six hours?"

"Sumi Keiichiro… I'm in your literature class; I turned in that paper about Usami Akihiko… Sorry, are you professor Kamijou's twin or something?"

"…No…" Kamijou continued staring, blankly, rubbing his arms to warm them, inadvertently. "…You're one of my students…?"

"…Yeah… we seriously just spoke about six hours ago, I brought my assignment by with Takahashi Misaki…"

"…Paper… on Akihiko…" Kamijou turned, walking off, dazedly.

"Are you in shock? You want to sit down a minute? I mean… if you sit, you'll get wet, but I think at this point, it probably won't really matter…" Sumi stammered, a tad worried about his seemingly disoriented professor.

"Oh, that's right… I have to grade that paper…" Kamijou walked around a little dazed in a small circle and Sumi's eye twitched.

"…Uh… look, you should really sit down… y-you're not going to suddenly start walking backward and trying to kill yourself, are you?" 5

"Six hours ago?!" Kamijou gawked, suddenly.

Sumi stared, a bit nervously. 'What's with these delayed reactions?!'

"But then what time is it now?"

"…Almost ten." Sumi checked his phone.

"…My phone… almost ten… my phone…" Kamijou pulled out his cell. It had shut down. "…That's not good… is it really ten?"

"Well, yeah…"

"So that's why it got dark…"

"…Um, I'm going to call a friend to come and pick us up…"

"No thanks… I'm almost home, I think… oh crap." Kamijou looked up at the store he was standing in front of. "…Queen Kamaya's…?! I meant to go home!"

"…Kamijou-kyoujyu… you seem pretty out of it… ah…" Sumi glanced down at the ground, where small puddles were reddening around Kamijou's shoes. "…Are you injured?! The water's turning red…"

"Injured? No… Red? Red… grading… papers… I'm going to grade your paper… okay… see you on Monday…"

"Uh… but-!" Sumi began gathering a few of Kamijou's dropped papers that were becoming soaked in the puddles at their feet.

"Ah…" Kamijou glanced back holding his forehead. "Sorry about that… I'm feeling a little under the weather, and was a tad shocked at that car coming out of nowhere… sorry about that… and thanks for saving me… sorry about that…" he bowed slightly, "For that, you can re-write the paper about a different author for extra credit, since you really seemed to grasp my style this time…"

"Ah- you DID read it?" Sumi blinked, shocked.

"Yeah… on the car ride over… to Akihiko's… so I'll see you on Monday…" He walked off and Sumi waved, slowly, almost as if the delirium itself was contagious. This felt pretty surreal…

He snapped out of it, quickly, however. "Wait! I can't just let you limp ho-"

"Don't worry about it." Kamijou waved without turning. "My roommate is a doctor. I'll have him check it out."

"Roommate is a doctor? That must be convenient…" Sumi stared, quizzically at the retreating form of his teacher, before glancing down at the briefcase that had practically exploded along the street when that car had hit it. He turned back to call after Kamijou, but he was out of sight. Sighing, Sumi began collecting the water-logged contents of the briefcase, hurrying to put them back inside, though the briefcase couldn't be closed anymore, and he picked it up, hurrying back over to the sidewalk so as not to risk_ his own_ life.

He glanced down the street again, searching for any sign of his professor, before staring down at the broken briefcase in his arms. He wondered if the briefcase had cut his professor or something…

He still felt as though he should go after him, but by now it was too late. He hurried home. Maybe there would be a cell phone number or a business card or something amidst the dampening papers… 6

-..- . -..-

After another hour of walking, Kamijou finally arrived home, shivering and more than just a little disoriented. His trembling hand reached for the doorknob, fingers touching it, but before he could even get his hand around the knob, the door opened, suddenly.

Kamijou just stared, blinking only when a drop of rain ran down his forehead and into his eye, before looking up into the eyes of his lover and roommate.

Nowaki stared at him for a moment, jumping slightly. He obviously hadn't known Kamijou was at the door when he had readied to head out. He was even wearing a rain coat...

The two stood in perfect silence for a moment, just staring at one another, both equally caught off guard, but their little staring contest only lasted an instant, and Nowaki's eyes widened with dawning realization.

"Hiro-san!" He exclaimed, stepping out to embrace his lover.

"…Nowaki, you're home…" Kamijou blinked. After a moment, his mind registered that Nowaki must have been deeply concerned and about to head off to search for him. Another moment later and he noticed that Nowaki was now holding him and he felt at least a little warmer…

His hands slowly came up to hold Nowaki back, and as if all at once; he suddenly felt extremely exhausted… beyond words… and cold, and the guilt he'd been feeling this whole afternoon and evening suddenly felt two tons heavier…

"I just got home and you weren't here!" Nowaki stated, suddenly, nuzzling Kamijou's drenched hair and burying his nose in it. "There was no note-- Hiro-san… you're soaked to the bone!" Nowaki exclaimed, holding his lover even more tightly, if possible. "Where have you been all afternoon and evening?"

Kamijou's teeth chattered and his chin vibrated against Nowaki's chest. "…Nowaki…"

"Hiro-san, where were you this whole time? Why was your phone turned off?" Nowaki whispered, pulling Kamijou into the house and closing the door.

"…It turned off because it got wet, I guess…" Kamijou raised his hands a bit more to cling to Nowaki's rain coat.

For a brief second, his mind drifted and he wondered where his brief case had gone to before he dismissed the thought, hugging Nowaki back, too tired and ill to care.

"…Hiro-san… did something happen?" Nowaki asked, unable to bear the thought of releasing his beloved soaking boyfriend just yet.

"…Nowaki… I think… there're things we really need to talk about…" Kamijou whispered, hugging Nowaki tightly. "…But I think… as I am… I can't talk about them right now, because… right now, I'm feeling really raw and… I'd probably get upset later… and take it out on you…"

"…Hiro-san?" Nowaki pulled away, concerned, staring at his lover's face. "…Tell me nothing bad happened to you!"

"No, nothing like that…" Kamijou reassured his younger lover, shaking his head. "I just walked home because… I had a lot of things to think about."

"…Hiro-san! You could have at least called me!"

"Yeah… I probably should have called… but I…" Kamijou frowned, staring down at the ground, eyes shining with unshed tears and Nowaki blinked, eyes widening slightly.

"…" After a moment, Nowaki sighed, placing his hand on Kamijou's head. "…I'm sorry… I shouldn't have scolded you… you must have had a good reason…"

Kamijou averted his gaze, guiltily. "There's no reason not to call when you're not in immediate danger… err… or an emergency situation. I should have called… I didn't know how late it was until…" He fell silent, recalling the incident from earlier. He glanced down at his feet. His leg felt numb, but his whole body felt numb from the cold, so he wasn't sure if he had really been hit or cut or something, but his pants were torn… And it looked sort of like he was bleeding a little… maybe he was cut… Also, his stomach really hurt… "…Still… I'm so sorry…"

Nowaki placed a hand under Kamijou's thick, matted down bangs and over his hot forehead, suddenly.

"Hiro-san! Your skin is freezing but your forehead is hot! Get naked, quick! Do you want a bath?"

"No…" Kamijou pulled off his shirt and Nowaki ran to go turn on the heater. Slowly, Kamijou limped to his room, grabbing a pair of warm pajamas out of his drawer and heading back to the living room after having changed. He laid down by the heater, curling into a ball.

"Hiro-san, you've got a lot of explaining to do in the morning… for now, you need to feel better, soon." Nowaki huffed, laying beside Kamijou and pulling him close, tugging the blanket over the two of them.

"…Yes… we have a lot to…" Kamijou trailed off, closing his eyes and raising his hands up under Nowaki's shirt; feeling the warmth of Nowaki's chest.

"…Hiro-san…" Nowaki pressed a kiss to his lover's forehead.

"…" Kamijou's eyes slowly opened and he swallowed.

'Nowaki… I love you…' He thought, staring into his lover's concerned and upset eyes. 'Thoughts of Akihiko vanish when I'm with you… but I shouldn't have any thoughts of anyone else at all… I love Nowaki… Nowaki…'

Nowaki blinked as Kamijou drew closer, covering Nowaki's mouth with his own in a sleepy kiss.

A smile graced Nowaki's features when Kamijou pulled away, but it gave way to a look of concern at the desperately lost look Kamijou wore as he rested his face against his own arms, staring distantly past Nowaki.

"…Hiro-san…" Nowaki raised a hand up to brush some of Kamijou's hair aside and away from his face. "…That lost look of yours… as seductive as it is… it pains me to see you this way…"

"Pains you to see me this way…" Kamijou parroted, eyes shifting to lock with Nowaki's. "…Nowaki… you're saddened by my pain, too…?"

"Eh?!" Nowaki was caught completely off guard by that question. "Of course, Hiro-san!"

"…Nowaki… you're not sad very often…"

"…Well… no, not really…" Nowaki blinked.

"…Thank you…" Kamijou murmured, pulling closer to Nowaki and rolling on top of him, leaning down and nipping at his lover's neck.

Nowaki stared, blankly at the ceiling as his beloved Hiro-san kissed at his neck and jaw line. "…Hiro-san…" He whispered, bringing his arms up to hold his lover, delicately. Averting his gaze, he let out a soft sigh. "Hiro-san… you're obviously very sick, and I don't know if it's a good idea to exert yourself…"

"Nowaki… my heart…" Kamijou picked and chose his words very carefully. "I'll take the advice you give me every time I'm sick."

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked.

"Because I'm sick, I'll blame my sincere words on my illness… like a child… I just want to confess something to you… I've gone through a lot of heartache in my life… and I think that I'm just now beginning to realize that it's due to the fact that I don't tell the people I care about how I feel about them… Nowaki… it makes you happy when I tell you how much I love you… doesn't it?"

"…Very happy, but…" Nowaki smiled, knowingly. "But I know that… when Hiro-san isn't sick… and when Hiro-san isn't drunk… he's not the type to say certain things… because of who Hiro-san is… and I love Hiro-san, exactly as he is, so… I understand… that it just means I have to be able to sense how Hiro-san feels, which is okay, Hiro-san." He reached up, running his fingers through his lover's hair. "Because I know Hiro-san so well, and because I love Hiro-san so much, I don't mind developing a sixth sense for you."

"…Nowaki, you idiot… who would seriously develop a sixth sense just so they could feel loved? We're supposed to be working on communication anyway… please forgive me… if it's only little by little, I want to become better at making my feelings known to you… because, Nowaki… you're the most important person in my life…"

Nowaki's eyes widened slightly and he couldn't repress the enormous smile that spread across his face. "Hiro-san… even if you're just delirious, it makes me happy to…" He trailed off, smile fading and brows furrowing slightly in frustration.

"I'm not delirious, idiot! …Maybe a little, but what I said was true! Don't doubt me when I say something! Know that I mean it!"

"…" Nowaki smiled again, leaning forward and kissing Kamijou, gently on the lips, then a little more to the side on his cheek, then right below his ear. Tentatively, he kissed at his lover and slowly, carefully rolled over on top of him, raising slightly when Kamijou let out a soft, painful moan. "Is something the matter, Hiro-san?"

"…It's nothing…" Kamijou lied, touching his lover's face, his other hand coming down to tug slightly at Nowaki's shirt.

"No, Hiro-san… sleeping naked wouldn't be good for either of us, especially not you." Nowaki grabbed Kamijou's smaller wrist, raising it up in between their mouths and kissing the back of his lover's hand.

"Nowaki…" Kamijou shut his eyes, pulling Nowaki's head toward his own and leaning past his lover's face, snaking a tongue into his ear.

"H-Hiro-san…" Nowaki blushed a little, shocked at his lover's odd behavior.

"Nowaki…" Kamijou whispered against his lover's ear, hotly, "…I'm still cold…"

Nowaki's sixth sense kicked in; he knew what that was code for.

He reached his hand up under Kamijou's shirt, and Kamijou gave a happy little shudder as his shirt and the blankets pulled away from the action, and a gust of heat from the heater swooped in, warming his chest and aching abdomen. Nowaki's hand aided, as well, his palm sliding upward along Kamijou's tightening abs, and then his fingers found one of Kamijou's nipples, giving it a little tweak.

Nowaki watched his lover's face adoringly as Kamijou's eyes shut tight and he turned his head slightly, his cheeks going from a light pink to a highly aroused shade of red.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki whispered, caressing his lover's cheek. "I know you're sick… and I'm about to fail in my duties as a doctor… but I can't resist anymore…"

"…How is it failing if you make your patient feel better, baka?" Kamijou whispered, playfully.

Nowaki kissed him before rubbing his lover's chest, over his shirt. It was apparent that he was attempting to warm his lover, despite the absence of his own warm body as he lifted up to hover over his highly aroused and obviously feverish lover.

Slowly, he slid Kamijou's shirt up to his clavicle, kept his hands placed firmly over either side of his lover's chest, and slowly leaned down, opening his mouth and breathing warmly against the middle of his lover's chest, between his hands. Slowly, he slid down, dragging his teeth gently down Kamijou's chest, upper abs, navel…

Kamijou shut his eyes tight, arching his back slightly as Nowaki's open mouth settled over the bulge in the professor's pajama pants. The med student's fingers tweaked and teased Kamijou's nipples as he nipped at and mouthed his lover's erection through that damnable fabric.

"Nowakiii…" Kamijou moaned, hands coming up to wrap around Nowaki's large wrists. "Stop teasing me, you bastard…

Nowaki's hands twisted in Kamijou's and Kamijou was the one to end up with his wrists being held in those warm, strong hands of his lover, who rose, suddenly, to all-but smirk at his over, face nearing his yet again.

Kamijou briefly wondered what happened to the martial arts he'd learned when he was younger. His wrists shouldn't have been so easily overpowered… Wasn't he a judoka 7 when he was only ten? Like everything else tonight, he blamed it on his disorientation.

"Hiro-san… because you're sick… tell me what you want." Nowaki whispered into his lover's ear before getting to work on his neck. Wet sounds so close to his ear, coupled with the sound of his lover's heavy breathing, made Kamijou squirm with desire, but he would always cling to whatever pride he had left; no matter what the situation.

"I am NOT that sick." He argued.

"Say it, Hiro-san." Nowaki whispered playfully into his lover's ear after sliding his tongue along Kamijou's jugular, then nipping at said reddening ear, pulling only slightly.

"Aaah…" Kamijou let out a soft moan. "…Nowaki… your mouth is in the wrong place…"

"Tell me, Hiro-san…" Nowaki licked Kamijou's neck again, this time moving down to his collarbone, and Kamijou gasped softly, brows furrowing and un-furrowing as he struggled to maintain what little pride he still had left tonight.

"…Nowaki… where'd your damn sixth sense go?"

"Hiro-san, I love you… just ask me to make love to you, that's all it takes…"

"Nowaki!" Kamijou panted as Nowaki's knee slid between his legs and he brushed it against that hard lump beneath the blankets. "…Nowaki… if I'm going to blame it on the fever anyway, then…"

Nowaki was downright shitty at hiding his excitement and at that moment, that adorably broad smile lit up on his face at the mere prospect of Kamijou's compliance.

Kamijou hesitated, debating on whether or not to request what he was about to request.

"…Hiro-san…" Nowaki pulled those damned puppy eyes and Kamijou swallowed before leaning up to whisper into his ear before nipping at his lobe, hoping Nowaki wouldn't think anything negative about him for his request.

"…Hiro-san…?" Nowaki blinked at hearing the request, turning to Kamijou as if to verify what he'd been asked.

"If you don't want to, then fine, don't…" Kamijou huffed, turning away and shutting his eyes in a pout, blush still burning at his rose-tinted cheeks.

"…Hiro-san, you're so incredibly cute!" Nowaki planted a kiss on the side of Kamijou's face, sliding down his beloved's body once again, leaving a trail of love-bites and kisses as he descended.

Kamijou swallowed again, nervously, and upon reaching that bulge in the brunette's pants, Nowaki rose yet again, bringing the blankets up over him.

He glanced from the bulge in Kamijou's pants to Kamijou's expecting and nervous face, shadowed by the blanket that was hanging loosely from Nowaki's head and flowing down over his shoulders, then he glanced at something off to the side.

Caught off guard, Kamijou blinked before following his lover's gaze, glancing at the heater beside his head. Nowaki sat up on his knees, the blanket still flowing down the back of his head, (and actually looking pretty cute, in Kamijou's "disoriented" state).

Nowaki took hold of the blanket and tossed it further over himself. It fell over Kamijou's head and over the heater, trapping the two in the heat… probably so that Nowaki could make love to Kamijou without worrying about him being cold every two seconds…

'Nowaki… you really love me…' Kamijou thought, once more feeling a wave of guilt crashing over him for even having feelings for anyone else ever before in his life.

Nowaki kissed his lover's exposed navel, and slowly raised Kamijou's legs up by the backs of his knees.

Kamijou gripped at the blanket that had been laid beneath him, shutting his eyes.

He could feel Nowaki's smile against his navel when Nowaki leaned over his lover's crotch, through his parted legs, pressing yet another kiss to his belly button.

"…You brat." Kamijou muttered, half-heartedly.

"Hiro-san… I want to explore every part of your body…" He dipped his tongue inside Kamijou's belly button and Kamijou struggled to bite back an uncontrolled moan. Who would moan at _that_, after all?! BRAT, Nowaki!

He shifted, uncomfortably when Nowaki reached down, tugging at the waist band of his pajama pants. He placed his feet firmly on the ground, wincing slightly. Now that his body was warmed up, his leg was starting to ache, but he was more than preoccupied at the moment and thus paid the pain little heed. He lifted his rump off of the floor and suddenly all of his attention was on his leg. As soon as he'd put weight down on it, his eyes shut tightly and he arched his back, leaning his head back and biting back a stifled moan in pain. Nowaki, who couldn't see his lover's contorted look of pain from beneath the blankets, and was thus completely unaware of his lover's situation, leaned down, kissing Kamijou right above his throbbing erection.

Kamijou struggled to relax, panting softly and laying on his back, spreading his legs a little more, as Nowaki took his thighs up and raised his lovers legs up, somehow sliding between them and under the pants he'd pulled down to his lover's knees. He kissed Kamijou's lower navel once more before licking the head of his precious Hiro-san's throbbing member, tasting the pre-cum that had already begun weeping from the hardened organ. Nowaki reached up, playing with Kamijou's left nipple with one hand, holding up one of Kamijou's legs with his other, and he went down on his lover's cock, swallowing it whole.

A moan tore from Kamijou's throat, and this time he didn't bother biting it back; for it was a moan in unbearable _pleasure_, rather than pain.

In fact…If Kamijou had been in a pain a moment ago, he couldn't remember… in fact… did he even _have_ legs? As far as he could tell right now, he had one body part, and it felt like it was going to explode.

Short pants between long, drawn-out moans were the only sounds filling the room aside from the heater and hot, wet, sucking noises.

After a moment, Nowaki pulled back, circling the head of Kamijou's penis with his tongue before pulling it out of his mouth, pumping it a few times with his hand.

"Hiro-san, incredible…" He whispered.

"Sh-shut up…" Kamijou panted.

Smiling, Nowaki leaned back down, kissing Kamijou at the base of his hardened length. "I'm going to do it now, Hiro-san, that new thing you asked me to."

"…If you don't want to… you can go back to what you were doing before… that… that…" Kamijou panted, one arm draped over his forehead.

"No, Hiro-san, I want to…" Nowaki reassured his lover. "And Hiro-san?"

"…Mm…" Kamijou murmured, reaching down and dragging his fingers through Nowaki's hair a few times, squirming with discomfort at their little pause during sex.

"…You're about to have the backs of your thighs kissed by a man who loves you very much, Hiro-san."

"Nowa-KIII…." Kamijou arched his back when Nowaki did as promised; kissing the back of one of Kamijou's thighs, but a finger took advantage of Kamijou's momentarily relaxed state and pushed all the way inside, poking him right in the prostate and circling once. "Aaah…"

"…Hiro-san, I love you." Nowaki whispered, pulling his finger out and moving both hands to Kamijou's hips, then sliding them up to the backs of Kamijou's knees, helping them remain in air while he had his way with his lover.

Kamijou whimpered as Nowaki's tongue slid along his entrance, slowly, gently.

"…Nowaki… I…" Kamijou stammered, both hands woven into Nowaki's hair and gripping gently at the stringy strands.

Nowaki's tongue invaded and Kamijou cried out, softly, squirming as his common-law-husband's tongue moved in a circular motion inside of him.

"Nowaki… never mind!" Kamijou panted, shaking his head, violently. "I want _you _inside me!"

"…" Nowaki pulled back, smiling knowingly. "Really, Hiro-san?"

"Nowaki, you bastard… hurry, before I… aah… I'm going to…"

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki smirked, raising his head, in-turn tugging Kamijou's pants even further down to his lower shins, and he somehow maneuvered until he was settled in between Kamijou's legs, cock at his lover's rear. "Hiro-san… your face… I want to see…" Nowaki lowered the blankets a little and Kamijou caught it, keeping it covering the two.

"No…"

Nowaki laughed softly, giving it a tug and revealing his lover's tortured, lusty face. Smiling, he reached down, sliding his index and middle finger along Kamijou's lower lip before leaning down, replacing his fingers with his lips and giving Kamijou a chaste kiss as he pushed inside.

"Aaaah!" Kamijou once again broke away from their kiss, tossing his head to the side and gripping onto Nowaki's sides.

"…Hiro-san… you've already heated up inside." Nowaki whispered, thrusting in and pulling out at a quick pace. (He had to catch up to Kamijou, who looked about ready to come any second, after all.) He glanced down at Kamijou's abandoned and twitching manhood and grabbed hold, squeezing gently and tugging, jerking him off, with little effort.

Kamijou reached up, wrapping his arms around Nowaki's neck and hunching over, pressing his forehead to his lover's chest as they came together, both moaning one another's names. Nowaki's seed filled Kamijou and Kamijou's seed exploded all over the both of them.

Panting, Kamijou pulled slowly away from Nowaki, who's dick slid out as soon as it had softened. Kamijou inhaled before looking up at Nowaki with an exhausted expression.

Nowaki blushed lightly, leaning down and licking a drop of cum from Kamijou's bottom lip; apparently, the uke's cum had exploded out, splattering all over his flushed face. Kamijou blushed even more deeply, sinking into Nowaki's hold and resting like that as Nowaki just held him…

"…Hiro-san… " Nowaki reached one hand down to the small of Kamijou's back, rubbing gently in circles. "…you were incredible as always, Hiro-san… do you feel warmer?"

"I feel hot…" Kamijou whispered. Nowaki laid him down, gently, and blinked when Kamijou wouldn't let go.

"…Is something the matter?" Nowaki inquired, quietly.

"…Nowaki… I'm sorry…"

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked.

"…I want to reciprocate…"

"Don't be silly, Hiro-san… we both came together… let's sleep together and hope you feel better tomorrow."

"Nowaki…"

"Hmm?" Nowaki pulled off his own top, cleaning his lover up to the best of his abilities. "Are you sure you don't want to take a warm bath, Hiro-san?"

"Nnn…" Kamijou shook his head, no. Nowaki pulled his lover's pants back up and pulled his shirt back down over his cute belly after wiping it off. "Nowaki… I … I'm sorry about… and…" He trailed off, tiredly.

"Hiro-san, we'll talk tomorrow, when you're feeling better." Nowaki smiled, laying down beside Kamijou and pulling the covers up over the two of them.

...

Kamijou stared at his soup, face flushing from the memory. Actually, he had slept through just about all of Saturday and Sunday, and had dreamed of that same half hour or so over and over… all in all, it'd been a VERY good sleep, but…

Slowly, he reached down, hiking up his pant leg. He examined the poor bandage job he'd done when Nowaki wasn't looking… and in the end, he still hadn't explained what had happened on Friday…

Overall, he hadn't engaged in any productive introspection, nor had he advanced his relationship with Nowaki…

At this point, the constant coughing, the throbbing leg, and that odd pain in his stomach… not to mention the overwhelming guilt regarding those previous few facts… were making him feel pretty much like a maggot.

Or maybe it was whatever the hell he was sick with…

'Takahashi-kun is in my next class, to top it off…' He made a face as he heard footsteps approaching. He stood to welcome back his lover and professor, and as soon as he stood, he saw white.

-..- . -..-

"I won't repeat this, so don't make me." Nowaki said, folding his arms. "If you're just the type of person who's playful and touchy-feely, then I can understand that. I can also understand someone who's touchy feely using their personality type as an excuse to touch Hiro-san! Worse; if you really have some kind of feelings for Hiro-san, understand this: I will not permit anyone else to touch my Hiro-san!"

"Thumb-wrestle you for him?" Miyagi quirked a brow.

"I'll definitely win!" Nowaki snapped, determined.

"I'm teasing, jeez." Miyagi huffed, scratching his hair, annoyed, before lighting up a cigarette and taking a drag. "Look, you! I have my hands full with my own little terrorist, and one little homo is enough to deal with, I definitely don't need two."

Nowaki huffed, opening his mouth to reply, but Miyagi cut him off.

"Believe me; I'm not interested sexually in Kamijou. Our relationship is strictly work-based… and even if we were _friends_; that would be that."

"But then why were you going to kiss Hiro-san that night?!" Nowaki snapped.

"Eh?" Miyagi blinked, taken aback by that sudden question.

"And you didn't give him my message that day, those months ago! Didn't you do it on purpose?!"

"…What're you talking about?" Miyagi huffed, placing his hands on his hips.

Nowaki's jaw dropped, eyes widening. "How can you not rem-?!"

"Anyway, I dragged you out here because I think we need to talk." Miyagi huffed.

"…I'm trying, but you're not answering any of my ques-"

"Just answer me one thing." Miyagi sighed, as though he had been interrogating Nowaki but to no avail—instead of the other way around…

Nowaki sighed, falling silent, annoyed and wondering how his lover put up with such an obnoxious and grabby man all day, every day…

"…Is what Shinobu-chin told me… true? Do you really fantasize about taking Kamijou to Canada to get married, there?"

"Oh… yeah, but it's really only a personal fantasy of mine, it's not like Hiro-san and I are actually…" Nowaki's eyes widened, suddenly, and his face instantly flushed. "Ah! He told you?!"

"Of course! I've been giving Kamijou crap about it all day. Jeez, aren't you guys already practically married? Six years is a hell of a lot longer than my actual heterosexual marriage lasted…"

"AAAAAAH!!" Nowaki's face went even redder, if possible. "YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM?!"

"No, I didn't come out and say it, but you really should, you know, you have to be extremely direct with that guy-"

"I know that!" Nowaki fumed, cutting the professor off. "Hiro-san is the type of person that you have to blurt things out and almost have to premeditatively plan out what you want to say ahead of time in order to avoid a beating-"

"And nine times out of ten, you'll receive one regardless." Miyagi agreed.

"…But it's not like Hiro-san is thick-headed or anything! He can actually be fairly perceptive!"

"Yes, he's extremely perceptive, as well as intelligent, that's why I chose him as my assistant." Miyagi shrugged, enjoying their little competition. "And I've come to see it more and more the more we work together, especially when he was working the most… back before you had returned after ditching him."

Nowaki's eyes bulged and he fumed. "Hiro-san is an extremely amazing person! The type to leave a lasting impression! When we first met, Hiro-san was acting really strong, even though he'd been through a really tough time!"

"Yeah, I know, I see it whenever I can tell he's having problems with you, at home."

"Ah-!!"

'Check mate… this guy is just as much fun to mess with as Kamijou- bwahaha… now I have two!' Miyagi mentally rubbed his hands together at the prospect of obtaining a new toy to mess with, psychologically.

"Don't worry." Miyagi huffed, putting out his cigarette. "All I said to Kamijou was to think about your relationship more seriously and to quit messing around; it's something he needed to hear."

"Stay out of it!" Nowaki snapped.

"Hmmm…?" Miyagi's eyes narrowed on the fuming man.

"I said stay out of it! Hiro-san and my relationship has absolutely nothing to do with you, so outside of work, stay away from Hiro-san!"

"I don't see why he thinks you're so cute when you're jealous, that face is absolutely annoying to me."

Nowaki's face instantly brightened, stars shining in his eyes. "Hiro-san says my jealous face is cute?!"

'Oh, he's even MORE fun than Kamijou!!' Miyagi mentally grinned. "Sorry, but no can do."

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked.

"I've already decided I'm in love with Kamijou and I'm going to propose to him."

"Eh?!" Nowaki snapped.

"Unless… you can beat me to him." Miyagi smirked.

"…" Nowaki stared, confused for a moment before his eyes narrowed dangerously on Miyagi. "I don't understand why you do the things you do, say the things you say, or act the way you act when it comes to **my** Hiro-san… I don't know why you didn't give Hiro-san my message that day and then denied it, or why you tried to kiss him and are now denying it, or why every time Takatsuki-kun comes by, you seem to have your hands anywhere near MY Hiro-san… I don't understand why you joke about it, if you really think of Hiro-san as a joke, or if you care about him some way or another, but know this: whatever feelings you have for Hiro-san, you can just forget about it! Hiro-san is all mine, and you will never have him!"

"…" Miyagi picked his ear, bored. "Mmm… why is it someone as mature as Kamijou is going out with such a kid."

Nowaki fumed, gritting his teeth.

"I'm just trying to give you some encouragement, after all… you two have been together what? Six? Going on seven years, now? What? You think just because you're both men that it's okay to stay the way you are?"

"…" Nowaki blinked, taken aback.

"…Get married… adopt a kid… get a puppy… do SOMETHING… hell, at the rate the two of you are going, just talking freely without holding back would probably be a big step, right?"

Nowaki's eyes widened. "…How much do you know about us? What does he tell you?"

"Kamijou's a hard shell to crack, but once he's comfortable, he doesn't mind letting loose every once in a while… even if I practically have to force it out of him, he tells me enough to where someone like me can piece two and two together- and before you go getting uncutely jealous again… at the very bottom line, before we were anything else, Kamijou and I were subordinate and boss… we've always been such… and Kamijou will probably always feel somewhat obligated to answer to me when I demand things of him, so… it's not that he's more open with me than you… so much as I threaten to fire him if he doesn't tell me what I want to know."

"WHAT?!"

"Just kidding, just kidding." Miyagi waved the matter away with a small smirk. "Anyway, you're somewhat responsible… if I hadn't had to have cleaned up that little mess the two of you left in the library, I wouldn't be able to lord that whole incident over his head."

"SO YOU **DO** REMEMBER THAT NIGHT!!"

"…" Miyagi's hair frazzled. "…Err…"

"What's more, how can YOU blackmail Hiro-san when you're going out with-!!"

Nowaki gawked as Miyagi rushed at him, suddenly, covering his mouth and laughing loudly, looking rather nervous.

"Hey, there, chairman! How's it goin'?!"

Nowaki blinked as Miyagi released him and he turned to take notice in an elderly man who was approaching the two of them.

"Let me introduce you to my friend! His name is Kusama Nowaki."

"Ah… how do you do?" The dean shook Nowaki's hand, smiling a tad nervously. "Nice to meet you, err… I must apologize, I'm in a bit of a hurry, Miyagi, may I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure thing! Ask away!" Miyagi smiled.

"Can you handle the rest of Kamijou's work today?"

"I already told you I'd take care of it, right?" Miyagi smiled.

"Right, sorry… he passed out just a few moments ago. I'm going to call an ambulance."

Miyagi and Nowaki both looked noticeably startled.

"Where is he? In his office?!" Nowaki demanded, quickly.

"Eh?" The good man glanced up at Nowaki, blinking, a tad stupefied. "Well… yes…"

"Kusama-san here is a med student, we should have him take a look before taking drastic measures, don't you think?" Miyagi asked, quickly.

"Ah, a med student? Excellent! Come right this way, what good timing!" The dean took Nowaki by the arm and hurried toward the literature department office.

Miyagi watched, nervously. 'How can he live with a doctor- even just a mediocre med student… without being diagnosed with something if it's obviously gotten this bad…?'

"Miyagi! I came to have lunch with you!" Shinobu approached Miyagi from behind, suddenly. "I brought cabbage soup this time!"

"…DID YOU FEED IT TO KAMIJOU?! YOU POISIONED HIM, DIDN'T YOU?!" Miyagi fumed.

"…Eh?" Shinobu blinked, confused.

-..- . -..- To be continued in chapter 8 -..- . -..-

--

**AN: **So… Kamijou passed out… no, not from Shinobu's cooking… And don't worry! I would never kill off a character! (I really don't get killing off characters you like… sorry…). So what did you guys think? Next chapter is Terrorist, which takes place over the past weekend. Yeah, chapters 4,5,6, and 7 all take place over the course of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and then chapter 8 will begin a steady timeline at the hospital. Yay… Sorry for the confusion.

**Another AN: **By the way, I'm going to re-write chapters 1 and 2 and re-post them next week instead of chapter 6, since I haven't started on it, yet. so expect chapter 6 in about two weeks. Reviews help speed up the process tho. ;)

--

**End notes:**

1 **"…All the way to the school, then you're just gonna walk back? Now THAT'S devotion…" Miyagi blinked.**

I don't know how far Kamijou's home is from the school… in volume 4, Nowaki runs an envelope to the school on his day off because Kamijou left it behind… but they've moved in vol. 8, which happened afterward, so… shrugs although Nowaki DID mention that it was a good location, and knowing him, he'd definitely take his precious Hiro-san into consideration, so, it's probably still close by (the school).

2 **"…I'm no longer going to be satisfied with merely being your BFF. From now on, we shall be BFF—AE-AE-AE!"**

BFF is an English idiomatic abbreviation (or slang term) for Best friends forever! And is more commonly known to be used by Valley-girls, stereotypically… like annoying cheerleaders, etc.) BFFAE means Best Friends Forever And Ever! (and of course, the more AE's you add, the more "And ever!"'s you add… This is Miyagi's way of being absolutely silly, which I think suits his personality, as he often calls Shinobu, a boy of 18, Shinobu-chin, Shinobu-chan, and other childish nicknames…

3** The car screeched and swerved, barely missing a frazzled Sumi…**

You probably won't think this one is as funny until you get to the end, and by then you've already forgotten about it… I actually added that line in right before posting the fic, so I already knew that Sumi saved Misaki in chapter 1 and then Kamijou later on in this chapter. XD So I guess that one was more for me or ppl re-reading this chapter more than anything else…

4 **Gojuuon order…** In Japanese, there are 3 writing styles, Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana. Basically, Gojuuon order is the order of the kana (Katakana and/or Hiragana) symbols in this order:

A, I, U, E, O… KA, KI, KU, KE, KO… SA, SHI, SU, SE, SO… TA, CHI, TSU, TE, TO… NA, NI, NU, NE, NO… etc. The first five are pronounced A: "aah" like the soft 'o' in ostrich, or the 'o' in 'on'… I: "Eee" like the double e's in the words 'feet,' 'seed,' 'kneel,' etc… U: "oo" as in the double o sound in 'food,' or the u sound in the word 'rude,' or the 'ew' sound in the word 'newt.'… E: "Eh" like the e sound in the words 'fed,' 'wedding,' or the ai sound in the word 'said.'… Finally, O: "Oh." Which is the long sound of the letter o in the words: 'hoe,' 'row,' 'blow,' etc.

Basically, Miyagi tricked Kamijou into opening his mouth wide to make the 'aah' sound, so he could stick the thermometer inside… That was pretty obvious, though, you already knew that. XD

5 **"…Uh… look, you should really sit down… y-you're not going to suddenly start walking backward and trying to kill yourself, are you?"**

This is a reference to the movie "The Happening," in which people would start walking backward, speaking incoherently, and acting confused and dazed… and then they'd try to kill themselves somehow. (This movie just came out in America this summer, 2008… personally; I didn't like it so much…)

6 Yeah… you won't find out what happens with **Sumi** until the next Romantica chapter, unfortunately… that should be chapter 8, I think, and that's when all the couples start coming together…

7 **Judoka**- … A practitioner of Judo. (Too lazy to write anymore long definitions). If you're THAT interested, check Wikipedia under "Judo," it's bound to be there.

--

**SPOILERS FOR MY FUTURE CHAPTERS: **Hiroki actually has 3 things wrong with him. XD Poor guy. They're pretty easy to guess if you look at the symptoms; clutching his tummy, coughing non-stop, fever, gash on leg… okay, so it could be a billion different things… I'll give you the first letter of each, "p" "a" and… the third one could go either way as "lead poisoning" or "infection."

--

**UNDERSTANDABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY FIC AND ACTUAL MANGA: **

**Spoilers for vol 11, do not read downward if you don't want to be spoiled.**

My fic is supposed be up to date with the latest manga chapters… but since the latest manga chapters are in Chinese, I don't know who the new guy (Romantica act 18) is… also, I think in chapter 2 of vol 11 (Same, Romantica act 18), Sumi has actually graduated. sad so I guess this could be dubbed an AU at this point, I dunno… I also dunno how old Misaki is when Shinobu and Miyagi get together, but for the sake of my story, the characters' ages are as follows:

Usami Akihiko- 28-29

Takahashi Misaki- 19

Kamijou Hiroki- 28

Kusama Nowaki- 24

Miyagi Yoh- 35

Takatsuki Shinobu- 18

Final notes: Misaki, you're the only one who is allowed to age from this point forward. gets bricked I guess technically my fic takes place about vol 10?

**Chapter 6 Summary: **Risako, Miyagi's ex-wife, walks in on Miyagi and Shinobu during make-up smex and understandably freaks out… After worrying so much about his own future, Shinobu is suddenly faced with the prospect of having possibly ruined Miyagi's career… could his love have cursed Miyagi's fate?

**Chapter 7 Summary: **Misaki struggles with how to interpret his feelings with regards to his lover having had a fling with his teacher, and still being seemingly close friends… He seeks counsel from Sumi-Sempai and with his help, (and the help of one of his father's books, which Misaki ends up getting hooked on- oh no!), he decides to leave the past in the past, however, he and Usami receive notice of Kamijou's condition and rush to the hospital… are all past feelings truly buried in the past?


	6. Terrorist: Cursed Fate

**AN: **Sorry to have taken such a long break. I've been inspired by the kink meme and have been working on a side-project that I'm not sure if I should post. XD Anyway, this Terrorist chapter takes place over the course of the previous weekend before Kamijou blacked out. Enjoy.

**AN PS: **Oh, and this entire fic was written over the course of a few hours between two nights when I was at my very tiredest and Could. Not. Sleep. (…there was a spider in my bed. ashamed) so if it seems a little off or there are errors, forgive me, I'm usually pretty good at catching them… can't wait to read it when she's alert and fully awake Enjoy, regardless!

**Warnings: **Yaoi **… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

_**(Japanese translations for certain words are posted at end of fic)**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Junjou Romantica.

**Special thanks to: **Anon reviewer "Hira" for informing me that I've been spelling Nowaki's surname wrong, I totally had no clue- thanks for letting me know!

**Chapter 6 Summary: **When Risako walks in on the Terrorist pair, invoking an argument between the siblings, she becomes upset and Miyagi's job just might be at stake…

Yep, more drama. Now onto the story, bwahahaha.

**-..- . -..-**

**-..- . -..- Junjou Fluff Chapter Six: Cursed Fate -..- . -..-**

**-..- . -..-**

-Friday 4B-

Miyagi You glanced at his watch, annoyed, wondering what was taking Takatsuki Shinobu so long… They'd arranged for this little date days ago and Shinobu had been the one to remind him in the form of text messages, small note cards posted to Miyagi's forehead every morning when he woke up, and constantly bringing it up verbally between almost every other sentence when they were alone.

_"Don't forget about our date! You promised you won't forget, and we'll have a really fun time!!"_

_"Bye, Miyagi! Ah-!! Don't forget our date Friday night!!"_

_"Good night, Miyagi… don't forget about our date on Friday!"_

_"Miyagi, you look so spaced out lately- oh, you better not space out on Friday, don't forget we have a D-A-T-E!!"_

So Miyagi found it quite ironic that he had been sitting in this little family restaurant for about two hours, waiting for Shinobu to show.

His eye twitched as the waitress headed over again. "More coffee, sir?"

"Actually, go ahead and just get me something to go if you would… it seems the other party isn't going to show."

"Certainly! What would you like?" The waitress set the coffee pot down and took out her notepad.

**-..- . -..-**

Miyagi made his way up the stairs of his apartment complex toward his apartment, to-go boxes in bags in his hands. He knocked on Shinobu's door, knowing the idiot wouldn't be in his place. It still smelled of burnt ramen, after all.

He knocked his head against the wooden door, annoyed.

After a moment, he heard some scrambling around inside and then the door opened and he was greeted by a glaring Shinobu.

Upon noticing it was his lover at the door, Shinobu's glower dissipated and he blinked, looking quite stupid.

"…Miyagi?" Was all he could say as Miyagi passed him, heading for the table to set his bags down. "…Why would _you_ knock?"

"Hands were full." Miyagi spat back, bitterly. He didn't appreciate wasting two hours of his life. "Did they decide to make today daylight savings without telling me? Or are you just playing more of your little mind-games?"

"What're you talking about?" Shinobu blinked again. Miyagi looked around for any indication of what the boy had been doing before he'd arrived. Open books littered the floor and he grimaced. It was starting to look like Kamijou's place.

"You seem to be busy, should I come by some other time?" Miyagi huffed, sitting down at the table.

"Actually, I am a little busy." Shinobu replied, sitting back down on the spot of floor that wasn't covering the floor. Upon closer inspection, the 'spot' sort of resembled a body shape… As if to confirm this, Shinobu laid down, fitting perfectly in the space that was void of books and going back to his studies.

"…Studying… you were studying… and… what? You suddenly have a surprise test on Monday or something?" Miyagi asked, brow twitching. 1

"What're you talking about? I study a lot; all the time." Shinobu huffed.

"…Shinobu, did you forget about our date tonight?" Miyagi snapped, brow twitching.

"…" Shinobu seemed to be enthralled in whatever he was reading, but suddenly a look of dread crossed his face and slowly, slooowlyyyy, he looked up at Miyagi.

"…" Miyagi huffed. Despite his lover's obvious realization and the apparent look of guilt and shame that washed over his lover's face, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of sadistic pleasure. He'd wasted two hours of his precious life. Shinobu could squirm for just a moment. It's not like Miyagi was furious or anything, in fact, seeing that cute apologetic look cross Shinobu's face pretty much made up for the two hours of awkwardly sitting alone in a busy family restaurant while teenage girls giggled mercilessly at his expense, and other crowd members gossiped about him having been too good-looking to have possibly been stood up, and what-not.

…Okay, so Shinobu's cute face didn't make up for those two hours, but the make-up sex probably would… maybe…

"Miyagi…" Shinobu got to his knees, ashamed. "I'm so sorry… I completely forgot…"

"Give me a good reason and I won't hate you forever."

"AH!" Shinobu gawked at being put on the spot, and under such circumstances!!

"...I… I just… suddenly became obsessed with something… a new subject…" He raised his book, frowning. "And the book was so interesting; I couldn't stop reading it…"

". . ." Miyagi glared at the pathetic attempt to identify with him. "Don't think that just because you were enthralled in a good book makes up for- wait a minute… what do you mean a new subject? Aren't you studying law? You've already decided, you can't just change majors, not to mention, you're all ready studying literature on the side. Don't take on too much at once, or you'll regret it!"

"I can do whatever I want!" Shinobu huffed as Miyagi headed over and took the book, curiously.

"…Political science… politics? I think this is probably something you would have had to have read eventually, anyway… but why politics all of the sudden?"

"Well…" Shinobu stood, frowning. "The thing is… after having dinner with Kusama-san and his whore the other day,"

Miyagi's eye twitched.

"I realized something…"

"And that is?"

"No, wait…" Shinobu scratched the back of his head. "You wouldn't understand…"

"What do you mean?! I'm seventeen years your senior, you wanna try me?" Miyagi huffed.

"Um… the thing is… you were outside slutting it up with Kamijou the devil while I was talking with Kusama-san."

"Slu-?! You brat! I was discussing important goals and stuff! For work!"

"Work work work, you think you're so cool because you work at home all the time, just like my father." Shinobu huffed.

"AH-!!" Miyagi didn't know how to respond to that. A) The dean and he were sort of in the same field, so it wasn't too far-fetched that the dean, too, would bring work home with him, B) He was technically old enough to be Shinobu's father, so was that a dig at his age? C) What's wrong with bringing your work home with you? It only means you're either really dedicated or you love your job, right?! Either way, it's a good thing!

". . ." Shinobu sighed. "Anyway… Kusama-san admitted to me that he'd love to get married to Kamijou the Devil…"

"Eh?" Miyagi dropped all other emotions other than shock.

"…But he can't… because in Japan, two men can't get married, and if he were to go to Canada like he fantasizes about, and they did get married, it still wouldn't be observed here… so I thought… if I get into politics… then I can really change things… maybe…?"

Miyagi stared at his lover before smiling, lightly, reaching over and placing a hand on his head. "Shinobu… if you want to convince the world that homosexuals should have the same rights as they do, then the best way to convince them is by living happily-ever after with your lover and rubbing it in their faces."

"…That's crap."

"Ah-!"

Shinobu huffed. "I want to legalize gay marriage in Japan!"

". . ." Miyagi scratched his head, sighing. "Look… don't take this the wrong way, but… you could never… ever… EVER… be a politician, Shinobu."

"Why not?!"

"Because A) you're only seventeen, and you're already involved in an extremely scandalous relationship, you have a skeleton in the closet, you ARE a skeleton in the closet," he snickered, "and you have a tendency to make stupid decisions based off of how you feel rather than applying logic to a situation."

"But-!"

"You run before looking, and look when you should be running, you're too emotional, impulsive, and above all, you're a big brat."

"…" Shinobu stared at his lover before his eyes began to tear up and an all-too-familiar flush came over his face, lips trembling, brows furrowing.

Miyagi sweat dropped. Even if Shinobu made cute faces and sounds when he cried, and it was always for something sincere and adorable, it was still sort of a pain…

But the crying didn't come, he just sort of stood there, struggling NOT to cry, knowing that if he did, it would only prove Miyagi's point that he was a big brat.

"Nnn…. Nn….nnn…." But that didn't stop little sounds from escaping.

Miyagi sighed. "Shinobu, you-"

"I'm st-still ambitious, and determined when I get passionate about something!! B-besides, I want to change the world!!"

"…" Miyagi turned away, hiding his enamored expression… Shinobu was absolute, undeniably, unbearably adorable, in ever essence of the word…

"Ah… but Miyagi…" Shinobu reached out, clinging to the back of Miyagi's shirt, sadly. "I'm sorry I stood you up…"

Miyagi recomposed himself before turning to his younger lover, placing a hand tentatively against his cheek. "…That's alright… you're going to make it up to me, aren't you."

It was a statement more than a question…

Shinobu looked confused for a moment, eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. After a moment, Miyagi's words sank in and their meaning registered in Shinobu's often-seemingly small brain.

"…Ah…" He averted his gaze, blushing lightly. "Yeah… I will… but…" His eyes shifted to the food on the table, and as if on cue, his stomach emitted a rather loud growl.

Miyagi pulled the teen closer, kissing him forcefully.

Shinobu kissed back just as fervently, raising his arms up to wrap around Miyagi's neck.

"Miyagi…" He whispered, breathily when the older man pulled away.

"You could have at least answered your phone." Miyagi sat down at the table again, getting everything out.

"My phone? Ah- I left it at my parents' place." Shinobu pouted. "Sorry about that…"

"AT YOUR PARENTS'?!" Miyagi gawked, eye twitching as he thought about all the messages he'd sent Shinobu… he knew that when he had sent most of them, he was thinking of writing things like: 'That's it, I am going to pound into you so hard tonight you will not be able to walk tomorrow!' but he was fairly certain that he only added those in mentally, and that he had been more careful about the actual contents of the message… still, if Risako or the dean were to open his cell and check to see why it was making so much noise, they'd surely be curious as to why Miyagi was sending so many texts wondering where Shinobu was… right?!

"It's on silent; they probably won't even notice it… unless they want to go through my messages or something…" Shinobu shrugged.

"That's not very reassuring at all!" Miyagi snapped.

"My father wouldn't, don't worry. My mother might, but my sister wouldn't care enough to, besides, I'm not stupid enough to put your name in there."

"Ah… you didn't?" Miyagi blinked. "Wh-what do you have me in there as?"

"A code-name of course!"

Miyagi let out a sigh of relief. "A code-name… that's probably a good idea, maybe I should change yours… ah… no, that's not necessary, err… what do you have for my code name?"

"Unmei."

"AH!" Miyagi gawked at his lover, who had dug into his food by now.

Annoyed, Miyagi also ate.

"…Miyagi?" Shinobu looked up for a moment. "…I really am sorry… I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." Miyagi replied. "Like I said, you can make it up to me."

"…The food's really good…" Shinobu frowned. "…Maybe… maybe it's better we dine in anyway…"

"Why do you think that?" Miyagi inquired, grateful for the change in diet. Cabbage was starting to get old, to be perfectly honest…

"…I don't know… sometimes I think you're really uncomfortable with being my lover… since I'm sort of a threat to your job…"

"…" Miyagi shrugged, nipping at his food again. "I don't know about that… how does your family feel about homosexuality?"

"Eh? Well… it's never really come up before…" Shinobu practically sparkled at the prospect of talking about their families and their pasts. Miyagi stared at the transparent teen, somewhat stumped. He'd always figured, what with all that talk about destiny and fate and what-not, that the boy was more the type to focus on the present and future, rather than the past… but then again, most lovers wanted to know more about one another's lives, right? Shinobu had listened very closely when he'd explained things about sensei, so perhaps he wanted to know, but was too shy to delve, or didn't want to let on that he was interested…

Then there was that time he'd discovered it was Shinobu's birthday… the teen had mentioned not making a habit out of talking about himself unless someone asked… apparently if you _did _ask, however, he was more than happy to divulge the information.

The professor smiled, lightly. "I mean… I can't think of anything, really…" Shinobu scratched the back of his head before he froze, eye twitching. "Wait a minute… are you FINALLY admitting-"

"Admitting what?" Miyagi huffed. "I am not a homo like you."

Shinobu's jaw dropped. 'WHAT?!' was written all over his face.

"How are you not gay?!"

"Eh?" Miyagi blinked. "I like women."

"What about me?! You seem to enjoy… making love… to me!"

"I do." Miyagi stared at Shinobu as though he was stupid for not getting something, and for a split-second, Shinobu wondered if he was the one who was stupid or if it was just Miyagi…

The age-gap always made him doubt himself when Miyagi said stupid things like that…

Miyagi continued staring at Shinobu's scrunched up, analytical face, and he laughed softly.

"It's like… I've never thought of a guy naked… or gone out of my way to watch gay porn, really… for fun, other than for shits and giggles, anyway… and…" He scratched his cheek. "Even though I guess you could say I know a lot about it, I've never thought about it. Because I'd always had sensei, I didn't really think about sex after I met her…"

Shinobu's jaw dropped. "NEVER?"

"Well I'm a man, so of course I did, but I had no interest in pursuing sexual relations with anyone in particular… I guess…"

"…What about before you met her?" Shinobu took another bite.

"Aeh…" Miyagi thought about it. "I met her in the peak of my prime age, so before that, I guess I was pretty much a normal, horny teenager into my early twenties… but…" He shrugged. "I didn't think of men; that's for sure."

"…You had sex with my sister, though, huh?" Shinobu glanced away, thoughtfully.

Miyagi's forehead went blue… he didn't have any siblings… but he knew that if he did, he certainly wouldn't want to consider the thought of them having sex with his lover… he wondered, for a brief moment, how that thought affected Shinobu… and of course he'd had sex with Risako, they were married, after all… although sex with Risako was way different than sex with Shinobu… with Risako, it'd been more an obligatory thing, whereas he loved Shinobu, but aside from that, there was also his job… If he didn't satisfy Risako to an extent, he worried it may affect his job somehow, but with Shinobu, if he irritated him or even made him furious, he didn't have to worry about Shinobu snitching…

He was grateful, and at the same time, he wondered why the thought of Shinobu becoming furious and snitching had never crossed his mind… even as he thought that, now, he didn't feel worried or disturbed; it was as though he didn't feel like it would happen…

"…Miyagi? Are you thinking about it?" Shinobu blinked.

"Huh? About what?" Miyagi realized he'd been staring off into space.

"Having sex with her? Risako?" Shinobu asked.

"Eh?!" Miyagi blinked. "Ah… no… I mean, I answered your question in my head, then sort of went off on a trail of other thoughts…"

"What thoughts?" Shinobu blinked, tilting his head, confused.

"…Thinking about what you said about my job…"

"…Are you worried?" Shinobu frowned.

"Not really… unless we did something stupid enough to get us caught… I trust you…"

"…" Shinobu smiled, lightly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah… your sister and father give you a lot of shit about being an idiot and stuff, but… you're extremely bright…" Miyagi shrugged, going back to eating.

"…" Shinobu blushed lightly at the compliment. "…Y-you call me an idiot, too, sometimes."

"…I guess I do…" Miyagi didn't deny it, nor did he apologize or take it back, so Shinobu glared.

"…How long were you waiting?" He inquired.

"For what?" Miyagi started putting his food away.

"Me. At the restaurant." Shinobu asked, handing his plate to Miyagi.

"Ah… five hours."

"Liar." Shinobu huffed, pulling off his sweater.

"Ah… just a minute, I need to make a phone call."

Shinobu watched as Miyagi headed over to his jacket, which he had tossed over the back of the couch when he'd first come in, after depositing the food onto the table. He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell, opening it and dialing a number.

"Who are you calling?" Shinobu asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

"I'm checking to see if Kamijou got home alright."

"EH?!" Shinobu's face paled.

"I gave him and some student a ride somewhere, and Kamijou should have made it home by now, so I want to ask him something."

"What?!" Shinobu grabbed the phone, snapping it shut. "About what I told you, you can't tell him! Kusama-san told me that in private, Kamijou-san doesn't know!"

"…I was just going to make sure he got home alright, since it's raining."

"Oh…" Shinobu huffed, folding his arms. "…I guess you guys are pretty good friends…"

"… Mmm…" Miyagi's eye twitched. "I'm not replying to that. I know you're trying to set me up for some kind of trap."

"…" Shinobu frowned. "…It's your fault for always having your hands all over him."

"…He's not answering…" Miyagi blinked, looking at the phone. "Maybe I should try his home number…" He dialed and Shinobu glared again. It was bad enough his lover hung all over that guy at work, now he was calling him at home…

"…That's a little unnerving…" Miyagi stared at his cell phone before hanging up and dialing Kamijou's cell again. "….Kamijou! It's me! I need to discuss some reference materials with you, call me back as soon as you can." He hung up.

"Eh?" Shinobu blinked. "Reference materials?"

"He won't call me back if I ask if he's okay or to let me know he got home alright, so it's best to just make up something business-related…" He snapped his phone closed and turned to Shinobu, tilting his chin up. "Don't be jealous. Kamijou doesn't mean anything to me."

"He means enough to you to call him to make sure he's alright."

"Am I not allowed to have friends?" Miyagi huffed.

"I'll be your friend! What do you talk to him about that you can't talk to me about?!"

Miyagi inhaled before listing off all of the most recent literary artists that he and Kamijou had been discussing during the last time they'd shared lunch at work.

Shinobu could only stare blankly at all of the different names, books, articles, and references Miyagi was listing.

After he'd finished listing, he just stared, expectantly at his lover.

"… I know… about some of those…" Shinobu pouted.

Miyagi just smiled and placed a hand on his lover's head, pulling him close and pecking him on the forehead. "That's alright, Shinobu-chin… I'll be more considerate of your feelings and stop calling him when you're around."

"NO!" Shinobu snapped, furiously.

"Eh?"

"If you're GONNA call him, don't do it when I'm not around! I should always be there to monitor you!"

". . .Like-wise, I'll be there to monitor you whenever you decide to call a friend."

"What?!"

". . ."

". . ." Shinobu continued to glare, realizing that his lover was trying to force him to admit his hypocrisy. ". . . Fine, that's only fair after all."

"Gaki." Miyagi huffed, reaching down and undoing Shinobu's pants. "…You can get to work. Making the thirteen hours I wasted up to me, now."

"Thirteen? Weren't you at work thirteen hours ago?" Shinobu huffed, kneeling down and undoing Miyagi's pants. After a moment, he looked up. "Miyagi?"

"Mm?" Miyagi cocked his head to the side.

"…I really am sorry…" Shinobu admitted.

"…" Miyagi bopped Shinobu gently on the head. "Baka… trying to change the world."

"…Miyagi?" Shinbou asked, again, working his hands over his lover's erect dick.

"Nn…" Miyagi grit his teeth. Did the brat want to make love or have a conversation?! Kids these days… opting to do multiple things at once…

"…If marriage in Japan were legal… would there be hope for us in the future, like there would be if I were a girl?"

"…" Miyagi blinked, staring down at his lover confused. He highly doubted that homosexual marriage would be legalized or even recognized in Japan in his lifetime… then again, Shinobu's generation was becoming more and more open-minded… still, as of now, it was just a hypothetical question…

"…It shouldn't make much of a difference, should it?" Miyagi replied, suddenly, reaching down and caressing his lover's cheek, tenderly. "Because, either way, we're shooting for the happily-ever after thing, right?"

"…Miyagi…" Shinobu blushed, smiling happily. "…Yes…"

Miyagi knelt down, pulling his lover's face to his and kissing him sweetly, pushing him over onto the floor and reaching down to tug off his pants.

"Miyagi…?"

"Mm?" Miyagi replied with a small smile, tossing Shinobu's pants.

"Suki desu…"

"..." Miyagi smiled, "Ore mo." He caressed Shinobu's cheek and slowly pushed inside.

"Aaah…" Shinobu cried out, softly, reaching up to wrap his arms around his lover's neck. "Miyagi… more… I want you more… deeper…"

"I don't know, maybe I should make you _**wait**__._" Miyagi smirked, wrapping his hand around the boy's penis and pumping it a few times.

"No… Miyagi… aaah… I want you deep inside… aaah… aaah…" He moaned uncontrollably as Miyagi started bucking his hips, thrusting deep inside his young lover and pulling almost all the way out before pushing in again, each time he hit that sweet spot inside Shinobu that made him want to scream.

Shinobu whimpered and moaned, one hand raised above his hand and clinging to something, a piece of furniture, maybe? His other hand was at Miyagi's back, nails nearly drawing blood.

Miyagi, more turned on by the small noises escaping the boy, reached down for his lover's thigh, raising it slightly so as to delve even deeper. The moans were longer and more drawn out, obviously this slight change in position proved to be increasingly more pleasurable for both men, and Miyagi smirked into his lover's neck as he came inside.

"Aaaah… Miyaagi…" Shinobu panted. "Y-you bastard… you came without me…"

"That's what you get for making me wait." Miyagi whispered. "Besides, it's your fault for making all those damn cute sounds…"

"Miyagi… it's hard again…" Shinobu mumbled, pushing Miyagi's chest and climbing onto his lap. "Miyagi… I want to do it like this again…"

"Shinobu-chin… your face is…" Miyagi tilted Shinobu's chin so he looked to the ceiling. "Don't look at me like that, or I'll come again."

"Come with me this time." Shinobu snapped, sliding his arms under Miyagi's and hugging him, pressing his cheek against Miyagi's chest.

Miyagi felt himself blush slightly at the affectionate gesture, and he rested his head atop Shinobu's for a moment.

"Miyagi… I really love you…"

"Oh… even though I came before you?"

"Come with me this time…" Shinobu whispered, leaning up to kiss Miyagi.

"Mmm…" Miyagi reached down, raising Shinobu and shifting under him.

One strong arm was wrapped tightly around Shinobu, hand resting limply on the boy's hip, his other hand slid down between their bodies and he raised his dick, letting Shinobu lower himself until he was completely impaled. Miyagi then grabbed his lover's erection again, continuing where he'd left off.

"Aaah… Miyagi…" Shinobu cried out, softly. "…Th-this position… aah… it feels…" He stammered and Miyagi smirked.

"You know you're supposed to be the one working if it's going to be you on top…"

"I'm not on top…?" Shinobu blinked, confused.

"Sure you are." Miyagi smirked, laying down for emphasis. "See?"

"Aaah… so I'm seme?" Shinobu asked and Miyagi shook his head.

"Not even remotely." He sat back up. "Come on… move your hips." He placed his hands on Shinobu's hips and started thrusting upward.

"Uaaah…" Shinobu blushed at the wet squishing sounds that filled the room as he felt his lover's cock ramming against his prostate. "Aaah… aah… Miya… Miyagi…!!"

"Mmm…hmhmhm…" Miyagi snickered, quietly at the glazed over expression his lover wore when he was getting thoroughly fucked. "Shinobu-chin… you look like you don't need my hand at all…"

"N-no… keep going…" Shinobu panted, pushing Miyagi so that his back was to the floor and resting his hands against the floor on either side of his lover's neck, panting as he moved his hips, bouncing faster and faster, hurrying to his orgasm as quickly as he could.

"Shinobu-chin, for someone who made me wait so long, you sure are impatient…" Miyagi smirked, squeezing Shinobu's dick and smirking at the distorted look of both pleasure and pain that crossed Shinobu's face.

"Mi…Miyagi…" The boy shrugged his shoulders, gasping now. "I-I'm going to come…"

Miyagi smirked at his lover's pleased face before a movement somewhere to the left of them caught his eye and he glanced over. His eyes widened when he saw Risako standing in the doorway, Shinobu's cell phone slipping from her hand and onto the floor, her eyes wide and lips parted; she stood, frozen in absolute shock…

"S-stop…" Miyagi whispered to Shinobu, who obviously hadn't noticed.

"No, don't stop!" Shinobu whimpered, wrapping his arms around Miyagi's neck and leaning down for a kiss. "Miyagi, I love you…"

"Wait, Shino-mm--!!" Miyagi gawked as his mouth was suddenly full of very enthusiastic tongue, and he shut his eyes, tightly, unable to stare at his ex-wife as he came inside her brother, feeling Shinobu's semen splatter across both of their stomachs.

Shinobu's wet lips left his, and he licked Miyagi's bottom lip before nipping at it, gently, his playful eyes flashing with something that, under normal circumstances, Miyagi would be all over indulging in… but the poor boy had no idea that his older sister was standing just a little out of his line of vision, gawking at the two in what appeared to be a mixture of hurt and horror…

"Shinobu… we have a spectator…" Miyagi whispered. Shinobu stared at him, quizzically before slowly glancing to his right, then his left, where he saw his sister, gaping at them.

Shinobu's face turned red… redder than Miyagi had ever seen it… probably because he'd never seen Shinobu this embarrassed, afraid, guilty, and angry all at the same time.

Shinobu slowly sat up, body trembling with anger as he glowered at his sister.

"…Shinobu…" Risako whispered, eyes shaking. "M-Miyagi…"

"Why in the HELL wouldn't you have knocked?" Shinobu snapped.

"…I… I…" She stared, slowly glancing from her furious 'idiot' of a little brother to her ex-husband, who had never, EVER looked at her as passionately during their so-called love-making as he had been when he was fucking her sweet, innocent little brother.

"…Risako…" Miyagi muttered as Shinobu pulled away from Miyagi. The noise Shinobu's rump made from the sudden absence of Miyagi's now limp-member proooobably didn't really help their situation. At the wet, slimy noise, Risako quickly looked to the floor. Now she realized _she _was trembling.

Shinobu grabbed an article of clothing, the nearest one he could; Miyagi's discarded shirt, and hurriedly covered his already sweat-covered body, swallowing nervously and slowly getting to his feet, though his ass hurt so painfully at the moment he probably should have just sat there.

Miyagi swallowed, as he, too, sat up, grabbing a cushion from the couch and covering himself, awkwardly smiling, eye twitching.

Suddenly a million thoughts exploded into his mind… Risako was his ex-wife… she was Shinobu's sister… she was the Dean's daughter… she knew his parents… Risako also… still cared for him… so to walk in on the two, making love more passionately than he'd ever even feigned during their farce of a marriage, must have been very painful for her…

"…Miyagi…" She whispered, swallowing nervously as her eyes rose to meet his. "…Are you stupid? Shinobu… what's WRONG with you?!" She whispered, voice nearly cracking as she spoke. "…Miyagi, do you want to get FIRED?! And are you some kind of pervert?! Shinobu is only-!"

"Shut up." Shinobu snapped, suddenly, tearing her gaze from Miyagi's to his own.

"…What I do has nothing to do with you, Neesan." He snapped. "And don't you dare threaten Miyagi! I won't let you or father, or ANYONE hurt him or take him away from me."

Risako stared at her brother, disturbed, perplexed, confused, and hurt…

"Risako…" Miyagi whispered, slowly getting to his feet.

"…Nothing to do with me?" She said at last, slowly turning away. After a moment, she kicked Shinobu's phone inside the apartment and slammed the door.

"Miyagi… don't worry…" Shinobu ran to his lover, throwing his arms around him and embracing him tightly. "I won't let anything-!"

"Shinobu… it's not me you should be worried about right now… Risako must be… so unbearably sad right now… and you were so harsh with her…"

"…" Shinobu blinked before glowering. "What?! Don't think about her feelings! And don't make that face when you talk about her! You divorced her, right?! You love me, don't you?! You said yourself that I was the most important person to you!!"

"…Shinobu… stop being a spoiled brat for a minute." Miyagi glared at him. "It's BECAUSE you're my number one that you should sympathize with Risako."

"…" Shinobu made a face before slowly lowering his shameful gaze to the floor. "…Sh-she's going to ruin everything… she'll tell father… and he'll fire you… and me… I… when father finds out… what will he do? Will he stop paying for my college? Will he stop paying my rent? Will he try to trap me at home? What if I have to drop out of college?"

Miyagi blinked. "…The chairman wouldn't cut you off because of that would he? You said he-"

"I don't know…" Shinobu started to panic, hands trembling as he backed away from Miyagi. "…I don't know how he'd react at all! We don't talk about that kind of thing, really… but… no matter what happens, we'll be alright, won't we? I can work, I don't have to attend a university, I can just start working… or maybe we can move somewhere, to another country… even though I haven't graduated, or even really finished a single semester in college, I'm sure with my multi-lingual skills, I could surely get a job… even if it's just at a fast food res-"

"You'd be doomed if you had to cook." Miyagi sighed, raising his hand to Shinobu's head and ruffling his hair with a sigh.

"…Miyagi?" Shinobu asked, raising his small fingers to Miyagi's chest and looking up at him, hopefully. "…We'll be okay, no matter what… won't we?"

"…Shinobu… there's no way you're going to drop out of school… even just implying that proves you're nothing but an irresponsible brat… if I lose my job, that's got nothing to do with you. I'll find one somewhere else. If your father makes you move, you move wherever he says."

"No! I won't-!"

"Shinobu…" Miyagi pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him, tightly. "…I'm not going to let you throw your life away over me. I can pick up anywhere. You've got a lot of good things going and you'd be an idiot to walk away from it all… and your sister and your father love you… they'll do what they think is in your best interests, and no matter what happens, you cannot hate them for it."

"…But you love me… and we've got a good thing going on… how stupid would I be to walk away from someone who puts me first?" Shinobu whispered, eyes tearing up for probably the billionth time this evening… "…Miyagi… I love you… that's why… no matter what… I don't want to be a curse to you…"

"You and your fate, and your curses and what-not… I love you, Shinobu-chin… that's why, no matter what, I won't let you ruin your life. If we have to part and I have to wait ten years for you to become the Japanese Prime Minister, I'll wait for you…"

"…You would?" Shinobu blinked. "You'd wait that long for me?"

"Ah." Miyagi nodded, smiling playfully at him and ruffling his hair. "I'd wait a hundred years, Shinobu."

"…Miyagi…" Tears rolled down Shinobu's cheeks and he buried himself in his lover's chest, sniffling and sobbing, sinking to the ground with his naked lover. "Miyagi…"

Risako listened from the other side of the door, eyes on the floor. Slowly, quietly, she made her way down the hall and toward home.

**-..- . -..-**

Shinobu let out a soft sigh as he awoke around ten o'clock that night, reaching over to the other side of his bed, but Miyagi wasn't there. Annoyed, he slowly got up and looked around the dark room. The door was open a crack, so he made his way toward the sliver of light, opening the door and heading out into his living room. He didn't see Miyagi anywhere, so he inhaled for as long as he could, held his breath, and headed to the smelly apartment next door, opening his lover's apartment door and heading inside without knocking.

Miyagi was on the phone.

Shinobu sat down, waiting to be seen, drawing his knees to his chest, bored and annoyed, wondering how long he'd last before his face would turn blue and he'd pass out.

"…I see…" Miyagi scratched the back of his head, nervously.

Shinobu released his breath and his eyes widened. Miyagi must have returned to his apartment in case the chairman called and wanted to speak with him… was he on the phone with Shinobu's father right now?!

A million fears and worries began building themselves up inside of Shinobu, probably manifesting themselves into a bleeding ulcer or something…

"No…" Miyagi said into the phone with a sigh as he turned, blinking when he noticed Shinobu. He gave him a reassuring smile when he noticed his lover's fearful expression and he covered the receiver. "Shinobu-chin, don't look so panicked, I'm talking to your beloved Kusama-san."

Shinobu blinked, cocking his head to the side.

"…Right… well, see, I dropped him off at this writer's house around four or so today… and then when I tried calling him around six or seven, he didn't answer his cell phone… he's still not home? Ah- yeah, it _was _Usami Akihiko, in fact…" Miyagi blinked. "How did you… eh? Ah, you have his number? If you need any help, the boy that lives there with Usami Akihiko is one of the students in Kamijou-sensei's class, so… ah… no, I doubt any student would do something quite _that _drastic…" Miyagi laughed, softly, "No, I don't think he's failing, and I don't know if Kamijou's ever hit him with a book, but this kid definitely isn't the type to seek revenge… ah… ahuh… like I said, I have a car, so if you can't get a hold of him tonight… eh?" He stared at his phone, annoyed. "…I can't tell if he's really worried or if he just simply hates me…"

"…Mmm, did he hang up on you…?" Shinobu scratched his cheek, nervously. "It probably didn't help that I accidentally told him that you guys fool arou-"

"YOU _**WHAT?!**_"

"Ah-! I was really hammered…" Shinobu exclaimed in his defense. "…Why are you _here_?"

"Thought I should stay near my phone in case the chairman calls…" Miyagi admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"And you decided to call and check on Kamijou-the-Devil, even though I wasn't around." Shinobu huffed.

". . . I'm worried, to be honest… it's still raining really hard outside… Kamijou-sensei probably got wasted at that Usami guy's house and is just over there, but why wouldn't he answer his cell?"

"You're worried about that guy at a time like THIS?!" Shinobu huffed. "Worry about _**us**_!"

"Get your priorities straight, Shinobu." Miyagi sighed. "Human life and health comes before relationship troubles or job troubles… don't you think?"

"_What_ human?"

"Shinobu." Miyagi headed over and wrapped his arms around Shinobu, tightly. "...We should talk to Risako tomorrow, perhaps."

"…If she were going to tell father, she'd have done it by now." Shinobu muttered.

"Mmm… I think you're underestimating your sister." Miyagi huffed. "Besides, she's the type to dwell on something before making a decision… especially when it comes to emotional stuff, she can't let certain things go, and she likes to wallow in her own self-angst for as long as she can if presented with the opportunity."

"…She does seem that way…" Shinobu muttered. "She's sure to have told her friends by now… her and her big mouth…"

"Try to see it from her stand-point…" Miyagi sighed before sitting up, practically sparkling. "Being the Adonis that I am, I understand her pain and misery-"

"You are such a dick weed!" Shinobu blurted. "Are you unable to grasp the severity of this situation?! Is everything a joke to you?!"

"…I'm just trying to make _light _of the situation, Shinobu-chin… the thing is… she admitted to me that even now, she still has feelings for me… she got another man and even broke it off because, at the time, I couldn't comprehend the thought of giving my love to another person… other than…"

"Other than sensei…" Shinobu frowned, bringing his knees to his nose and wrapping his arms around them, frowning. "…Yeah… she told me all about that… and in truth, it really did seem to deeply hurt her…"

"…" Miyagi frowned. "…You, too, if you recall correctly… so it must hurt her a hundred times worse than you were hurting, because while you both understood that I was giving you each a chance, while still clinging to the love I had for sensei… you're the one who managed to steal my heart from her… that's something that you were able to do within a couple of months… Risako tried for three years… but she…" He shook his head.

"…I understand…" Shinobu frowned, sadly. "…And that it's me… that must make it even more painful… to her, I'm just a stubborn, stupid, idiot."

"What's that 'to her' crap? Everyone feels that way."

"Pblbllt." Shinobu blew a raspberry at him, annoyed.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Shinobu shifted his weight and let his body fall comfortably against Miyagi's. Miyagi smiled, lightly, resting his head on Shinobu's. The two fell asleep like that.

**-..- . -..-**

** -Saturday 5- **

Shinobu awoke to the sound of a phone ringing. Annoyed, he turned, and then gasped when he fell. He ended up crumpled in a heap on the floor.

Miyagi grumbled something inaudible and found the phone, silencing it by clicking the answer button and raising it to his ear. "Moooshiii moooshiiii…" He mumbled.

He sat up, instantly. "Ah- no… you're not waking me up, I was already awake! I'm glad you called… I was going to call you…"

Shinobu sat up, eyes wide. Had Risako called? The Dean?!

"…No… I see… ah, I'm relieved… and Kamijou's alright?"

Shinobu's jaw dropped. 'DAMN THAT BOOK-THROWING UKE SON OF A BITCH!!' He thought, furiously. 'If the rain didn't kill you, I will!!'

"…Ah… no… I don't need anything in particular, but I'm glad to know he made it safe and sound, I'll be sure to hound him incessantly on Monday for being an idiot… ah…? A fever? Mmm… have him call me when he starts feeling a little better, okay? Thank…" He trailed off, eye twitching when he realized he'd been hung up on yet again. "…That guy is such a… _nice person!!_" he switched gears. Nothing would bring him down today, nothing!!

". . ." Shinobu huffed. "…I'm hungry."

"…I'll make you something." Miyagi offered. "Then I think it'd probably be best if you and I went to see your sister."

"…" Shinobu frowned. "…She's probably up now… want me to call her?"

"…You can try." Miyagi blinked. "Why? Do you want to see if she's interested in eating with us or something?"

"If she hasn't told yet… maybe there's something we can do to… I don't know… convince her not to talk to my dad…"

"…" Miyagi sighed, shrugging.

"…OR…." Shinobu's eyes shifted, mysteriously. "YOU could distract her, and I'll hit her in the back of the head until she loses her memory."

". . ." Miyagi glowered.

"…Ooor, we could calmly and carefully explain the depth of our feelings to her and hope that our feelings reach her…" Shinobu averted his gaze, guiltily.

"Say, that's a good idea." Miyagi's brow twitched, annoyed.

Shinobu dialed Risako's number and waited for a reply. After a moment, the ringing stopped and he blinked. "Neesan- ah?" He blinked, glowering at the phone. "She answered and hung up!!" He fumed. 'I'll rip out her hair!'

" . . . " Miyagi sighed.

"…Miyagi." Shinobu stood up, proud and tall. "…I'm not afraid of facing my sister! Let's go confront her before it's too late!"

"Mmm…" Miyagi sighed, heading to his bathroom. "I'm going to shower first."

"Eh…" Shinobu blinked as Miyagi closed the door behind himself. He frowned, staring down guiltily at the floor… Why did his sister have to walk in on them? Why had his father set the two up in the first place? …Was it truly his fate to destroy Miyagi's life?

He balled his hands into tightened fists, furiously, eyes planted on the floorboards at his feet.

After a moment, he heard the shower water running. He had been the one to approach Miyagi… he had been the one to confess to Miyagi… he had been the one to force his love onto Miyagi… if there was no such thing as fate… if there was no such thing as fate, then…

Inside the shower, Miyagi let out a soft sigh, eyes closed as he let the hot water wash over his tense muscles. He heard a soft noise… maybe the door opening, and closing, then he heard rustling.

He'd been with Shinobu long enough to recognize the sound of his lover undressing. With a small sigh, he leaned against the wall, resting his temple to the porcelain. 2

After a moment, he noticed the shower curtain move a little, and felt hands at his back, massaging his tense muscles.

He smiled a little as one slid up his back and worked at his shoulders. He reached up, placing his hand over Shinobu's.

"I meant what I said earlier." Shinobu whispered. "…I won't let anyone hurt you, Miyagi… and… I think… this time it's me who should take responsibility."

"No, Shinobu. You've been right all along… I've been the one who should have taken responsibility from the start… and what we have isn't very responsible at all…"

Shinobu's eyes widened. Was this some sort of climactic break-up? Didn't Miyagi just say he'd wait a hundred years, earlier?

"A relationship that forces you to hide your love," Miyagi continued with a sad sigh, "Can't possibly be right, can it?"

"…Don't be stupid…" Shinobu whispered, pressing his forehead to Miyagi's back. "…It's not our fault if we fear that our family or society won't accept us… we love each other… I'm a consenting adult, you're a consenting adult, and… and besides, we need each other… I need you from the bottom of my heart… and you… who else could you possibly love? Can there ever be anyone else for you?"

"…I loved once… I never thought I'd love again, but you taught me how to do that, somehow…" Miyagi smiled a sad smile. "Could I ever love somebody else? I won't lie… there is a possibility…"

Shinobu's eyes widened and he fell silent, holding his breath, hoping against hope that Miyagi would tack some kind of 'but' statement to that hopefully unfinished sentence. After a pause that seemed to last an eternity, Shinobu realized he wasn't going to hear a 'but,' and he slowly lowered his hands to his sides, forehead still pressed to his lover's back.

"…" Miyagi sighed. "And you… I know you could definitely fall in love… you're a person who is filled with passion and vigor and determination… but you should probably be with someone closer to your age… so that the same thing that happened to me doesn't happen to you…"

"That's different." Shinobu whispered. "…You're healthy… If you stopped smoking, you could even become healthier…"

Miyagi laughed, bitterly at that. "…Stop smoking… it's an addiction… you can't just stop smoking… it's a biological need at this point…"

"…Why can't _I_ be an addiction?" Shinobu whispered. "…Why can't your heart need me? As much as mine yearns for you… Miyagi…? Please… take back what you said…"

"…Ma…" Miyagi sighed, raising his hand up to make the shower warmer as it cooled. "…Shinobu… we've both taken a lot of risks in getting together… staying together… and we were caught… stop being a child and face the facts. Aren't you concerned with what your family will think of you?"

"I'm not." Shinobu said without hesitation. "Because… Risako can't even keep a boyfriend for longer than a month or two… father and mother are both so busy, they don't even KNOW they have problems… why would they frown upon my relationship when I'm with someone I love… who loves… me…" he trailed off at the last part.

"…Shinobu-chin…" Miyagi turned, pinning his lover to the wall and kissing him, ardently. When their lips and tongues parted, Miyagi pressed a chaste kiss to Shinobu's forehead. "…When we first got together… we took a lot of risks… we didn't know how things would go… whether the road ahead would be rocky or smooth… I can resign myself to knowing that right now, I still don't know what the road ahead looks like… but if you're on board… and we have each other… then what do you think?"

Shinobu blinked his tears away, trying not to cry, struggling with all his might to smile…

"Think we can make it?" Miyagi asked, nipping at his lover's ear. Shinobu wrapped his arms tightly around Miyagi, shutting his eyes tight and blubbering into the older man's shoulder.

"…Shinobu-chin… you cry too much when you're with me…" Miyagi kissed his ear again. "…I'm sorry... I'll take responsibility."

**-..- . -..-**

-Monday 6A-

Monday morning came and neither Miyagi nor Shinobu had heard from or were capable of getting a hold of Risako. Miyagi kissed Shinobu one last time, because for all they knew, it could be their last time, before the two exited the apartment and headed for the garage underground.

Shinobu made to climb in the passenger's side but Miyagi grabbed him away, suddenly, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, since no one seemed to be around.

"Miyagi…" Shinobu frowned. "…Call me if you hear ANYTHING."

"I will. Get in the back."

"Eh?" Shinobu blinked. "The back?! What for?"

"We're picking someone up." Miyagi told him.

"Who?"

"Kamijou. He hasn't called in sick yet, and he should be leaving soon, so we're going to give him a ride and see how he's doing…"

"…" Shinobu frowned. "What do you think? Is he sick?"

"Ah, this is the first time you're asking." Miyagi smirked, climbing into the driver's seat and closing his door. Shinobu sighed, climbing in the back. "…Well… he's your friend, after all… he works with you and… somehow… I can't imagine anyone else putting up with you at work… with all your tantrums and messes and that horribly disorganized office of yours."

"Ours- he contributes to the mess and spazzes just as often as I do." Miyagi huffed, putting the car in reverse, backing up, shifting to drive and heading off to work.

"…No matter what happens, Shinobu… everything's going to be alright. I don't want you to worry, okay?"

"…I know." Shinobu frowned. "Miyagi, I love you."

"We're not _dying,_ Shinobu-chin." Miyagi smiled at him reassuringly, glancing at him through the rear-view mirror. "In any case… it's like you said; we're both consenting adults. We both made our own choices and if there're to be certain consequences for certain choices we've made, then we'll deal with them like strong, logical-minded men. 'Kay?"

"…Un." Shinobu frowned, staring down at his books. He wanted to skip school and hide out in Miyagi's office…

Miyagi honked obnoxiously, and called something out upon noticing Kamijou off on the side walk, but Shinobu was lost in his own thoughts; stressing over thoughts of what could happen, what would probably happen, etc.

He listened to Miyagi bicker, not quite able to hear the responses to whatever he was going on about and after a moment, he rolled down the window, glowering at the sight of Kamijou Hiroki, some kind of germ-trapping mask covering his mouth and nose. In all honesty, he looked like utter crap, pale-faced, wobbly, and he was standing kind of funny, like it hurt to put too much pressure on his foot or something, but Shinobu paid it little mind, turning to glower at his lover when he said something about respecting elders or what-not.

He became more furious when Kamijou had the audacity to reject the offer of a ride, but calmed a little when he saw Nowaki grab the brunette bastard's arm and yank him to the other side of the car, shoving him into the passenger's seat.

Shinobu glowered at the back of his head, not really paying much attention to whatever Miyagi was saying to him about the face-mask but suddenly wondering what could have kept the man sick over the whole weekend… maybe he had some kind of plague or something… He felt himself feeling sick and turned his attention, instead, to the devil's lover, smiling brightly and leaning forward before he could get away. "Kusama-san," He called, in-turn re-directing the man's attention to himself, "Ohayo! You want a ride anywhere?"

"Ah-that's… I'm on call today, so I'm just going to hang out near the hospital, you guys get to school and work- have a good day, Takatsuki-kun." Nowaki smiled that kind and caring smile, and stressful thoughts suddenly left his young mind. Shinobu thought that Nowaki would probably be a really great doctor to be able to rid people of their troubles, even if only a moment, with that heart-warming and sincere smile of his…

"Kusama-san, too." Shinobu replied, meaning it when he said it, knowing he himself would only spend the entire day worrying and stressing.

Miyagi sarcastically agreed, and teased the couple for a moment before speeding off thanks in large part to Kamijou and his typical antics.

Suddenly the man-stealer was glowering back at Shinobu and he was accusing Shinobu of flirting with his boyfriend, as if he had any right! The hypocrite… Shinobu spat something back about not infecting his boyfriend and Miyagi expressed his concern for Kamijou's health. Again, Kamijou had the gall to question Miyagi's good-will, asking; "Since when are we buddies outside of school?"

Shinobu leaned forward again, annoyed, "So you're buddies _inside _school?" He huffed, "What kind of buddies?"

"That's not what I meant." Kamijou snapped and he pulled his mask away, threateningly and faking a cough. Shinobu pulled himself as far away as possible. The rest of the car ride to school was long and dreadful. He did his best to pretend like everything was alright, as his lover seemed to be doing.

He was dropped off at school, and he felt torn. Half of him wished they hadn't stopped for Kamijou, no matter how sick he was, wanted the chance to kiss Miyagi one more time, just in case this was their last goodbye… Who knew what would happen if the chairman had found out… The other half of him was glad they'd picked Kamijou up; the act was only testament to the fact that Miyagi really was a kind-hearted person, but that only made their casual parting that much more painful.

**-..- . -..-**

Despite his seemingly normal appearance, Miyagi, too, was suffering from stress and was worrying with every second that passed. He managed to overcompensate by spreading his eccentricity like a virus; smiling merrily to everyone he came into contact with and making an over-all nuisance of himself. Nothing out of the usual, in other words.

The dean was in a meeting with a few of his colleagues and wouldn't be back until eleven AM. All Miyagi could do was go about his everyday life until then.

After his first couple of classes, and carefully monitoring Kamijou, he made his way to the chairman's office.

It wasn't quite eleven yet, but the good dean was in his office already. He appeared to be reading over some paperwork. With a hefty sigh, Miyagi reached up, knocking firmly on the doorframe.

The dean looked up, smiled, and gestured for Miyagi to come in.

"Come in, come in!" He said for emphasis and Miyagi's muscles all relaxed. He didn't know… Risako hadn't told him…

"Gakubuchou…" Miyagi smiled, nervously, entering.

"How're you this lovely morning, Miyagi? Heard some rumors that Kamijou's not looking too good."

"…He's not… that's part of the reason why I'm here." Miyagi sighed. "…I know I've already requested that he take next week off…"

"Well, if he's sick, he's sick… and I'm sure his students could use a break to study, I took a peek at the test he's prepared for tomorrow… I over-heard some of your colleagues taking bets as to whether or not a single student gets an A on it… so if you think he could use the rest of the day off, go ahead and give him the good news…"

"…You seem to be in a good mood today, sir." Miyagi smiled, nervously. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Excellent!" The dean smiled, clasping his hands together. "I can feel somewhat of a change in the air, how about you?"

"…Mmm…" Miyagi's eye twitched. "H-have you talked to Risako recently?"

The man's expression changed dramatically, and Miyagi tried hard to swallow his nervousness.

"…I haven't… she seemed a bit upset when I ran into her over the weekend, why? Did something happen between the two of you?"

"…Yes…" Miyagi admitted with a frown.

"…Well, I won't impose on the two of you and ask what's going on, you're both adults, I trust you'll resolve everything between the two of you… ah- but you're not dating one another again, are you?!"

"Aaaeeeh…"

"Ah, forget I even asked, like I said, what happens between the two of you happens between the two of you, I won't get involved anymore." The man raised his hands as if withdrawing from a battle.

"...I appreciate… yerr…" Miyagi looked away, ashamed.

"Ah, but you said Kamijou was only part of the reason why you showed up, is there something the matter?"

"…Yes, but… I think it'd be best to address the issue with all parties involved… don't let it put a damper on your day, though." Miyagi smiled. "Things are going good for the two of us, it seems, let's try to make the best of it while we can."

"Couldn't have said it better, myself, but Miyagi, you know if you ever have anything you want to talk to me about, my door is always open!"

"…Thank you, sir." Miyagi smiled, sadly, heading out.

He passed Kamijou as he walked down the hall.

"Professor," Kamijou greeted him, handing him a stack of papers and looking as though he would pass out at any given second. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Not before you hear my song."

"What?" Kamijou went beady eyed before glaring. "No! I've already heard it a million-"

"You shouldn't be at work to-daaaay!" Miyagi sang, in a soft, teasing tone. "You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be here, so I-"

"I heard it, I heard it, but it's almost lunch and Nowaki's bringing me soup or something." Kamijou huffed, keeping his voice low, eyes darting to the dean's office a bit aways from the two. "You know… like how Takatsuki-kun comes over for lunch sometimes… _hint hint_."

"Ah, Kusama-kun is coming to eat with you? How ro-ma-n-ti-cu!" He folded his hands as though he were praying and Kamijou just glowered.

"Quiet! I have one more class left and then I'll wait for him in my office… if anyone asks, can you cover?"

"If anyone asks? Why would anyone ask? He looks just like any other ten-foot-tall college student." Miyagi shrugged and Kamijou sighed.

"Thank you."

"Aren't Usami Akihiko's novels the best?!"

Miyagi and Kamijou glanced over at a gaggle of female students, blabbering on and on about how great Usami was as they headed toward the cafeteria.

"…Mmm… how did your trip to Usami-sensei's house go? Kamijou… we haven't discussed it all day." Miyagi huffed. "You ended up walking home in the rain again, didn't you?"

Kamijou glared at Miyagi, annoyed. "You didn't have to clean up after me, so it doesn't concern you!" With that said, he huffed, turned, and walked down the hall.

Miyagi glared at his retreating form before reaching out, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and yanking him back.

Kamijou gawked, glowering at him only to blink when Miyagi took off his glasses and put them on his own face. "Here I am worried about you and doing all these nice things and you go and treat me like we're complete strangers- no! You'd treat strangers kinder than you treat me! You like pain in your ass, you homo Kamijou, I will put a tack on your chair!"

"What?!" Kamijou flushed deeply, looking around to make sure no one could hear. Luckily, no one was around or paying attention and Miyagi had only spoken loud enough for him to hear, anyway. "YOU'RE the pain in the ass!" he snatched his glasses back, put them on, and stormed back into the direction which he had been headed in before.

"You shouldn't be here!" Miyagi sang after him and Kamijou waved the matter away as he retreated, annoyed.

He made sure to check every chair he sat in for the rest of the day… just for good measure.

Flustered, Miyagi turned, heading back to his office to text Shinobu and let him know not to panic, then he'd head to his next class. As he texted reassuring words to Shinobu to let him know everything was fine for now, but that they still needed to address the issue at hand with Risako, Miyagi found his mind wandering to thoughts of Kamijou.

As with every other prospective assistant, he'd looked over Kamijou's personal file. He had actually been raised in the house across the street from the writer, and they were obviously childhood friends; he'd seen Usami himself once or twice, coming by to borrow or return a book from Kamijou's private little library within their library, he'd also seen him picking up Takahashi Misaki once or twice in that cool-looking red sports car…

After his next class, he made his way to the library, checking his text from Shinobu when no one was looking. He'd also found some manga placed randomly on Kamijou's shelf, but he decided to keep that to himself… who knew how the haughty homo would take something like that; probably as a personal attack on the literary professor.

He grimaced. Shinobu would beat him up if he found out that Miyagi's thoughts were shifting to Kamijou so often throughout the day… Not like he could help it, they both worked together…

He thought about Usami again, wondering why Kamijou would let himself get so sick over someone who seemed so boring…

Of course, both Usami as well as Kamijou were gay… maybe they had been lovers at one time or another… That would certainly make sense, and it would definitely make for an awkward situation if he'd had to spend too long with Takahashi-kun waiting for Usami… too bad he was only just now noticing, or else he might have considered offering to wait with the two… he could have pretended to be a fan who wanted to meet Usami, or maybe he should have just kept his big mouth shut to begin with and let Misaki walk…

Who knew… he really didn't get homos at all…

**-..- . -..-**

**AN: **Okay, chapter 6 is done. (Sorry, it was pretty much 95 fluff ) Took a little longer to post because, as I said, I wanted to rewrite the other chapters. The next chapter is the last chapter in which the time-line will be confusing or screwy, and then we'll start to stay with all 3 couples on the same time-line. Cool?

**Japanese translations:**

Unmei- Destiny

Gaki- Brat (A term of endearment in this case, this is what Miyagi calls Shinobu)

Suki desu- I love you / I like you / I care about you / I like-like you (you get the idea)

Ore mo- Me, too. I, as well. Etc.

Nee-san- (Older) sister

Ohayo- Good morning

Ma… - Well… , anyway… etc.

Seme- The guy on top during man-smex

Moshi Moshi- A Japanese greeting for when you answer the phone or are trying to get someone's attention while they're spacing off, etc.

Gakubuchou- Dean / chairman

Professor- Professor (this is what Kamijou calls Miyagi all the time, you'll notice if you've read the manga / watched the anime / listened to the drama CD's.)

**End notes: **

1 I know the week is going American style, Mon-Friday and then with weekends off, and that that's not how things work in Japan, but because of the complexity if the time-line I had to throw together, please just make-believe. XD fails as writer

2 If you've read vol. 7, you've seen Miyagi's bathroom, and you know it looks nothing like how I explained, with porcelain wall and shower curtain… but I struggled after staring at the pics in the manga of his bath tub and it's pretty lame-looking, so for the sake of the fic, I gave him a bathroom make-over… epically fails at being writer XD

**Chapter 7 Summary: **Misaki struggles with how to interpret his feelings with regards to his lover having had a fling with his teacher, and still being seemingly close friends… He seeks counsel from Sumi-Sempai and with his help, (and the help of one of his father's books, which Misaki ends up getting hooked on- oh no!), he decides to leave the past in the past, however, he and Usami receive notice of Kamijou's condition and rush to the hospital… are all past feelings truly buried in the past?

**Chapter 8 Summary: **After taking Kamijou home, Nowaki realizes Kamijou isn't merely suffering from a mere fever, and he rushes him to the hospital. Both Romantica as well as Terrorist arrive to offer their support, hurray, it's the long-awaited crossover chapter, all three couples come together! Well… Kamijou mostly sleeps, but he wakes up at one point and, in his disoriented stupor, somehow comes to the conclusion that he must be in the hospital because something's happened to Nowaki! XD Yes, there shall be slight crack, mwahahaha. Ah- and there's also a dramatic confrontation between Nowaki and Usami for those of you who are more interested in that, ohohoho.


	7. Romantica: Phone Call

**AN: **Sorry it's taken so long to post this, school started, and also… I type over 100 words per minute, but I don't use the home row (and I only use one finger on my left hand) so I've been going MUCH slower because am trying to practice typing correctly… is very frustrating!

**Disclaimer: **I STILL don't own Junjou Romantica, but hey, I'm working on it.

**Warnings**: Yaoi (obviously) **… AND SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**Summary: **Misaki confronts Usami about his relationship with Hiroki, after receiving some advice from Sumi-sempai, but later the two receive a message indicating Hiroki has been taken to the hospital…

**Final Note: **By the way, as per a request submitted by a reviewer, I have (once again) edited all previous chapters (as well as this one) to where the day of week is also indicated, followed by the timeline number, therefore, if you go through and search for the timeline numbers, you could, technically, read it in order if you so desired… but for the most part, I think it makes it easier on the readers. Thank you for the suggestion, Rasberry Jo. This chapter is actually the most up-to-date so far, takes place after the events that had transpired over the previous chapters.

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 7: Romantica: Phone Call**

-..- . -..-

** -Monday 6C- **

An entire weekend had passed since Misaki's confrontation with Usami, who actually seemed, as of late, a tad depressed… perhaps about reopening old wounds… or perhaps it was just another deadline… either way, his lover had spent the past few days locked up in his own room.

Misaki couldn't help but let his instructor's unguarded words run through his mind over and over… not only that, but the events that led up to the confrontation continued playing over and over in his mind like a Panorama… eavesdropping, rushing down to confront the two, the look of pain on his instructor's face…

He shook his head as he gathered his things together. He'd just finished with the last of his classes and was getting ready to grab a bite to eat.

He was feeling all levels of frustration it seemed; mental, emotional… sexual…

He grunted as he struggled to rid his mind of that thought; but it was true. Usami had held him that Friday evening, and the two had sat in quiet silence while it stormed outside, listening and watching the lightning flash. They spoke, occasionally, but for the most part, Misaki had tried not to bring anything up, especially regarding what his literature professor had said… he feared that if he were to say something, it would probably be something insecure… and he didn't need to hear Usami affirm his feelings over and over- he knew he loved him!

… Right?

Letting out the billionth heavy sigh of the day, Misaki trudged down the steps toward the classroom's exit. To make matters worse, Kamijou hadn't shown up for lit class. That weird 'cigarette-smoking bastard' as Kamijou had referred to him as, had taken over, and even cut the lecture quite short.

He seemed to be in a hurry, and Misaki considered asking him what was going on with the lit department- (maybe they were finally realizing that Literature was boring and evil and horrible and decided to drop the funding or something-?! Nah, probably not…)- but by the time he'd made it down the long stairs, (why did he sit in the back, anyway?! Oh yeah, it made it harder for Kamijou to hit his target; which was usually the student who sat next to him; good ol' Sumi-sempai…), Miyagi had already hurried off.

"Mi-sa-ki-!"

"Speak of the devil and he will appear." Misaki mumbled as Sumi wrapped his arms around him from behind.

"Eh?"

"I was just thinking about you."

"Then it should be: 'think of the devil and he will appear,' ah- I used to think that when I was a very small kid… of course, when I tried hard not to think of the devil, I'd find myself thinking harder about him- can you imagine how scary life would be if you continued on like that?"

"…What're you talking about, Sumi-sempai?"

"I dunno, I just woke up…" Sumi scratched the back of his head and wrapped his arm around Misaki, walking with him, merrily, down the hall. "So, you should buy me something to eat."

"What the hell for?" Misaki huffed.

"For failing to deliver the goods you promised, of course."

"…Didn't I already repay you by accompanying you to the literature office or whatever?" Misaki fumed.

"Ah-! That's right!" Sumi hit his hand against his head, excitedly. "How was riding in a car with that devil professor?!"

"Ah…" Misaki averted his gaze, quickly. "…Um… I have a question to ask you."

"Eh?" Sumi blinked at Misaki's tactless attempt to change the subject. He wondered, momentarily, why the sudden change, but brushed it off, mentally, as his friend's being preoccupied. "Okay, what is it?"

"Well-"

"Ah- but in exchange for my highly-valued friendly advice, you should buy me something to eat."

"Didn't you like the brown rice?"

"As I expected, it was horrible."

"…Mmm…" Misaki laughed, softly. "What did you make?"

"Brown rice balls."

". . . That's probably why it was horrible… anyway, what do you want? A lunch, or B lunch?"

"Both."

"…Ugh…" Misaki dug around in his pocket, counting his yen. "…Mm… fine, but you better give me extremely introspective and well-thought out friendly advice!"

"Okay."

The two made their way to the cafeteria, where Misaki proceeded to purchase A and B lunch for Sumi and A lunch for himself. They sat among the other students, and after settling in and digging into their food, Misaki decided to try asking his question.

"Um… Sempai…"

"Yeah?" Sumi continued munching.

"Err… th-the other day…"

"…Yeeeeaaah?" Sumi smirked.

'I'd better not make it about Usagi-san and me, or he might take it the wrong way…' Misaki thought. 'Hmm… I know!'

"I know you hate writers, but I have to ask you about this book I read the other day."

"Kay, what is it?" Sumi asked as his cell phone indicated he had a text. He checked it, annoyed, while listening to Misaki. "Th-there are three characters, okay? It's sort of a love triangle… sort of…"

"Uh-huh?" Sumi replied to the text, curiously.

"W-well… character A and character B are in love, okay?"

"Okay."

"And then, character C, who actually knows both characters… was at one time, in love with character B…"

"Yeah?"

"So character A finds out, and… actually- there are four characters!"

"…Huh?" Sumi looked away from his phone, confused. "Four now?"

"Yes! It's a love…"

"…Square?"

"Rectangle… I guess?"

"…Okay… why not a square?"

"Because a rectangle is longer than a square."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"…It just seems more appropriate."

"Okay, hold on, hold on." Sumi sighed, pulling out a piece of notebook paper and drawing a rectangle, marking each corner with a letter; A, B, C, and D.

"Okay, character A is the main character." Misaki explained, pointing. "He's also the cutest character."

"Okay…" Sumi drew little waves around the letter 'A.'

"…What's that?"

"His radiance."

"…Okay… then character B is the person character A is in love with. Character B is kind of weird, but that's okay, because character B is extremely-"

"Wait, which characters are boys and which ones are girls? That might make things easier."

"…They're all men."

"…Ooooh…"

"SHUT UP! I had to read it- err… for a class!"

"…We share the same lit class and I've read no such thing."

"…For a science class!"

"…So character B is obviously Usagi-sensei."

"UAH-!! NO! It's not! It's from a book!"

"Can I borrow it?"

"I returned it!"

"So it's in the library?"

"No, I bought it from an online store and returned it!"

"…"

"…"

"…What was it called?"

"…I don't remember…"

"…Okay, so I'll just go ahead and put a 'Mi' next to the main character, an 'U' next to character B, and so character C used to be in love with character B, right?"

"Yeah, you can mark him with a 'Ka,' and character D with a 'Ta.'"

"…Okay… so explain their personalities or their relationships."

"Characters A and B are in love."

"Okay…" Sumi drew a line half way from A to B, then drew a heart, then finished the line.

"Ooooh! That's good!" Misaki praised, and Sumi wondered for a moment if his friendship with Misaki was really worth it… "Okay, characters A and C are… acquaintances."

"…Okay…" For the hell of it, Sumi drew a squiggly line from A to C, around B.

"And characters A and D are brothers!"

"Okay." Sumi drew a squiggly line half way between A and D, then a smaller heart, then a squiggly line the rest of the way. "And characters C and D?"

"Not important." Misaki huffed. "Okay, so character B used to be in love with character D, but claims he isn't anymore."

"Okay…" Sumi lightly sketched the same love-line with a lightly shaded heart.

"Character C used to be in love with character B!"

"Right, right…" Sumi drew the same kind of lighter-shaded line.

"Now, character C has a boyfriend now."

The tip of the pencil broke and Sumi grit his teeth, eye twitching. "So there's a character E, now?"

"Ah- no… it's not important… the thing is, at one time, character B loved character D while character C loved character B."

"Then THAT'S the love triangle- except no one loved character C- he must be an asshole."

"…Aheheheheh… well, sometimes it seems that way…" Misaki laughed, softly. Character C actually had a habit of throwing chalk board erasers at Sumi, so one might interpret his behavior as that of an 'asshole' so to say…

"Anyway," Misaki continued, "back then, because character B's love was unrequited, since character D likes girls, anyway, even though they were best friends, character C decided to… take advantage, I guess-"

"Told you he was an asshole."

"Shut up a minute! So character C, because he loved character B so much, tried to get character B to pretend character C was character D by making him wear a blindfold- err, he tried to seduce him."

"What a jerk."

"It's sad!"

"What's sad about it?"

"…H-his love wasn't returned…"

"…That's stupid, I don't want to ever read this novel."

"…Look, what I'm trying to say is, character A found out about character C and B having that one-time fling… both of them regretted it, but the reason character B had it in the first place was because he loved character D… so he accepted character C, if only for one moment, as a replacement… character A and D are brothers… what do you think the chances are that character A is also just a replacement, that's even closer to the original?"

"…Didn't you already have this problem with Usagi-sensei? You already realized he loved you, and not your brother, right? It's just like that."

"…Eh?"

"…Actually, this novel sounds pretty interesting… are you sure you don't remember the title?"

"…I don't." Misaki huffed. "…But if you like it, you'd probably like such titles as Junai Egoist and Junai Romantica…"

"…" Sumi huffed, going back to eating and checking his text messages. "How about that…"

"What is it?" Misaki also went back to eating.

"Well, you know how Kamijou-sensei was missing from lit class?"

"You WERE awake?!"

"I only slept because I knew he wasn't there." Sumi huffed.

"You fell asleep BEFORE class started."

"Why didn't you sit next to me?"

"I also sat before class started, I didn't know he wouldn't be there- you should quit your job if you're that tired."

"Anyway… what was I going to say…? Ah well, here." Sumi handed him a book. "I hate my father's works, but you know, if you liked that made-up novel you were talking about, you might like this one… there're hetero couples in it, of course, so you might not like it as much, but it's trite like the situation you mentioned."

"WHAT'S TRITE ABOUT IT?!" Misaki fumed.

"Thanks for lunch… let me know if you ever need any more of my thoughtful and meditative friendly advice!"

"Yeah, thanks…" Misaki looked at the book in his hands, annoyed. He headed home, reading the novel on his way. He also allowed his mind to wander a little, letting his senior's words sink in.

When he got home, he closed the book, not that he wanted to, it was extremely interesting, so far! He hid it away in his pack, so as not to offend his lover, before opening the door.

When he entered, the first thing he noticed was that Aikawa was sitting on the couch, across from Usami. He didn't recall Usami mentioning that he had a meeting today, but that would explain why he hadn't been at the college to pick him up…

Not to mention, he was almost certain that Usami was avoiding him after last Friday…

"Sensei," Aikawa was saying as she read over a manuscript in her hands, "after reading your first draft of the manuscript, I have to admit, I'm quite sure this was… as they state commonly on the internet, a perfect example of a failure of epic proportions…"

"Epic fail?" Misaki corrected, confused as he hung up his jacket.

"I thought it was quite good." Usami huffed. "Are you sure you aren't biased due to your love for _homosexual male _relationships?"

"No, I'm not biased, every girl gets kicks out of your typical hetero romance, too… and I was actually looking quite forward to this work, since you promised the lead would be a strong female character, however… I'm almost positive you simply wrote one of your typical BL books and just replaced the he's and his' with she's and hers'."

"… Why would you assume such a-"

Aikawa turned to a random page, clearing her throat before reading it aloud: "...She stuck her dick in his ass, and proceeded to-"

Misaki's jaw dropped, along with his things, crashing to the floor. "USAGI-SAN!!"

"Now, contrary to popular believe, a woman does not need a penis to be a strong female character." Aikawa sighed, folding her arms.

"You were the one who demanded it when it wasn't completed yet." Usami argued, lighting up a cigarette.

"…Usami-sensei… I want you to start over again from scratch. This time, don't have a MALE in mind when you are writing the part of the main character. Think of a strong female you know… it could be _anyone…_ think of one right now, don't you have any strong females you know that you could base the character off of?" Aikawa asked, coyly.

"….Mmm…" Usami tapped his cigarette to his ash tray, staring off into space, a thoughtful, distant expression on his face. "…Oh forget the strong female part; I'll just base the character off of you."

Aikawa fumed and Misaki laughed nervously as Usami snickered.

"EITHER WAY!" She snapped, slamming the manuscript down on the table and gathering her things. "…HAVE IT READY IN TWO DAYS!"

"Yes, yes…" Usami sighed, standing with her and walking her to the door. "I'll make sure I get it done, no matter what."

"See that you do, oh, Misaki… please do your best to make sure Usami-sensei completes this project, it's already overdue!"

"I'll… do my best…" Misaki mumbled, half-heartedly… He wondered if Usami's epic failure was due, in any part, to the incident that had occurred on Friday…

Usami shoved the door closed after Aikawa and scratched his head, sighing. "Sorry, Misaki… I should have ended the meeting early and swung by to pick you up… she was screaming her head off for an hour straight…"

"No… it's okay… I figured you wouldn't, anyway, since you're avoiding me." Misaki

admitted, timidly, crossing one foot behind the other and bowing his head, eyes locked on the floor.

"…I'm not avoiding you." Usami turned to him, confused.

Misaki slowly looked up at his lover without raising his head, making eye contact. "…You're not?"

"No…" Usami smiled, ruffling Misaki's hair, before pulling him toward the couch. "I just missed my deadline."

"…But didn't you just complete one?" Misaki blinked as he was pulled down into his lover's embrace.

He struggled to remove the strap of his bag while his lover struggled to keep a firm and loving hold on him.

"I finished everything and my computer crashed." The novelist replied.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE A BACK-UP?!" Misaki gawked.

"I did… someone stepped on it." Usami rubbed his cheek against Misaki's head. "So I just took a copy of one of my BL novels and replaced my character's he's with she's and so on and so forth… and changed the plot a little bit…"

"What a pathetic attempt at… wait!" Misaki's face paled. "Y-y-you mean I stepped on it?!"

Usami pulled back, laughing. "No, I had it in a safety deposit box, and when I went to get it, I accidentally dropped it, and someone stepped on it."

"…Oh… sorry to look relieved, but I'm glad it wasn't my fault… sorry about that, I've had something like that happen with one of Kamijou-sensei's pa- pers… be… fore…" He trailed off, blushing, furiously at having brought up the taboo subject.

"Mmm… oh… I was busying myself right after that incident, wasn't I?" Usami noted. "…Misaki… did you still need to discuss what was mentioned that day?"

"…N-no…" Misaki quickly averted his gaze, setting his pack on the couch next to them.

"…" Usami sighed, lighting up a cigarette. "…Misaki… it's obviously been bothering you, so let me reiterate this fact: I love you. I love only you. I will never love anyone as much as I love you, now. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you now. However, I'm sure with time, my love for you will also grow…"

"That's so typical of a love novelist to say." Misaki frowned, and Usami blinked, a tad hurt by the statement. "…No… I'm sorry… Usagi-san… but the truth is… it's just hard for me… to accept that you loved Niichan for over ten years… with all your heart… I mean… you keep saying I'm not a replacement, I'm not a replacement… and you love me in a different way than you loved him, right?"

"…Because you're two different people. When I knew Takahiro, when we were close friends, that is… I didn't even really know you, Misaki… if I did…" He smirked, cupping Misaki's cheeks in his hands and making the student blush, "…I probably would have fallen in love with you, then, too, and maybe my life would have been slightly less miserable… maybe… I wouldn't have made the mistakes I made six years ago with Hiroki…" He frowned, looking so sad it was painful for Misaki to see.

"…So you really regretted it, right?"

"…I regretted betraying my feelings for Takahiro at that time- for betraying Takahiro at that time… for thinking that having sex with Hiroki- or anyone- even Takahiro- would mean having his feelings returned… It's not like I loved Takahiro's body… I loved Takahiro's heart… not only did I shame myself by doing such a horrid thing, at that time… I besmirched Takahiro by fantasizing about him and acting on it with someone else… I also realize now that I had hurt Hiroki more deeply than I could have possibly fathomed at the time… and Hiroki is extremely special to me."

"How special?" Misaki looked up, quickly.

"…We were childhood friends… believe me… he doesn't compare to how much I love you… even saying that now so as to reassure you, I feel bad for him, a little… maybe not so much now that he's fallen in love, but for the Hiroki at that time, whose life, I now realize, had revolved around me…"

Misaki frowned, before rising up onto his knees, which were spread apart on either side of Usami's hips. He turned, wrapping his arms around Usami's neck and rested his forehead against his lover's shoulder.

"…Misaki?"

"…I'm sorry… What you did was in the past… you think you sullied my brother by doing those things at that time… but right now, I'm hurting you and besmirching you by not having enough faith in you… by not believing you when you say you love me… Usagi-san… we really… really love each other, right? For real?"

"…" Usami wrapped his arms around Misaki, gently, but strongly. "…Yes. Misaki… I love you more than anything. More than anyone. I know you don't like me to throw that word around so easily… and believe me when I say this, but I don't."

"Usagi-san… I don't throw it around enough, do I?" Misaki's head lowered, bowing sadly.

"…You don't have to…" Usami cupped Misaki's face in his cold hands.

"…" Misaki closed his eyes, smiling lightly. Moments like these, where he was being held so tenderly by Usami… were very precious to him… and even if only for a moment, nothing else mattered; his pain, the pain of others, social status, money, lifestyle, economy, sexual orientation, nothing…

Because right now, he felt loved, truly loved, and he knew his feelings were not only reaching this person who held him so lovingly- but they were also being returned…

"…You can let your body speak for you." Usami finished his thought, and suddenly his ever-so-tender grip on Misaki became suffocating and forceful, and he realized their lovey-dovey little moment was over, and now it was back to Misaki's automatic reflex number 1—DENY REJECT RESIST! DENY REJECT RESIST! DENY REJECT RESIST!

"No! I have homework to do!" Misaki tried to pull free and Usami simply dragged him up the stairs, throwing him down onto the bed with a rather happy smile on his face. He snubbed out the cigarette he'd apparently been holding onto this whole time, and pinned Misaki's wrists to the bed.

"U-Usagi-san…" Misaki flushed. "I really have a lot of home… work…" He trailed off, eyes narrowing along with the gap between their mouths, closing when their lips connected, but they were interrupted by a rather obnoxious ring tone.

Usami pulled away, glowering at the phone that had interrupted them. Not only had it startled the two, the music was horrible.

Misaki pulled his phone out of his pocket and Usami snatched it, answering, then disconnecting.

"Usagi-san! That's horrible! It's one thing to do that to the regular phone, but that's my cell!"

"I want to make love to you." Was Usami's rationalization as he turned the phone to vibrate-mode.

Misaki glared, reaching for it when it started going off again, this time the horrid music was gone. "It might be important!" He argued.

Usami caught both of Misaki's wrists in one large hand, holding the phone in his other.

"They're certainly persistent, but this here says it's just that Sumi guy… your vibrate is powerful, Misaki."

All color drained from Misaki's face, save for red, as Usami pressed the phone to the crotch of his roommate's pants.

"I know I was angry at the thought of his pleasing you at first, but since you want the phone so bad, I'll give it to you."

"Aaah… Usagi-san…" Misaki blushed, trying to pull away, but his wrists were both trapped, leaving him at the mercy of his lover's playfulness and his new toy.

Usami licked Misaki's ear, rubbing the vibrating phone up and down against Misaki's crotch.

Misaki's toes curled into the sheets and he whimpered, spreading his legs a little.

"…Mmm… it's usually women who like vibrators, but if this is the case, maybe I should buy you some fun toys, Misaki…"

"T-toys?" Misaki asked, confused, still blushing and panting as Usami rolled the phone around in a circular motion. It stopped vibrating, and Usami tossed it to the other side of the bed; discarded due to its current uselessness.

"Aaah… Usagi-san…" Misaki sighed, softly.

"Mmm?" Usami blinked.

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki mumbled, timidly, slowly raising his hands to Usagi's shirt. "Ano…"

The cell started vibrating again and Misaki gasped, nervously when Usami smirked, grabbing it up and pressing it against Misaki's crotch yet again.

"Nnn… aah…" Misaki whimpered, quietly, and Usami took advantage, sliding his tongue in between Misaki's parted lips and grabbing a hold of Misaki by his neck and jaw, gently.

When their lips parted, all that was left of Misaki's protests was a soft, short breathy statement: "It might be important, if he keeps calling…"

"Let him keep calling, more fun for us." Usami whispered back, and captured Misaki's lips in his own, yet again. The vibrating stopped, so the phone once again lost its usefulness to Usami, who tossed it carelessly across the room and replaced it with his hand, rubbing the hardness at the crotch of Misaki's jeans in a circular pattern, forceful, yet gentle at the same time.

"…" Misaki shut his eyes as his lover ravished him. He tried to focus on the feeling of his lover's hands sneaking up his shirt and down his pants, but his mind kept drifting to the stress-filled events that had transpired over the past few days.

He swallowed, before reaching up, grabbing Usami's hand and stopping it from traveling any further down his pants.

He couldn't go on like this…

He had to stop letting his mind drift. They were making love; he needed to allow himself to be swept up in the euphoric feelings.

Without any further hesitation, he raised his hands up to Usami's face and pulled him down for another kiss.

Usami was caught off guard by the suddenly aggressive Misaki, but he wasn't about to complain. He merely deepened the kiss and ran his thick fingers through Misaki's shaggy hair, gripping gently to tug Misaki's head to one side, breaking their kiss but moving on to his neck, biting slowly and sucking gently, leaving his mark on his lover.

"No- not a hickey…" Misaki blushed. "It's Monday, I don't want to deal with weird looks all week!"

"Too late, you've been marked as my property now, Misaki."

"I'm not property…" Misaki muttered, annoyed as Usami kissed the hickey, gently. "Now I'm gonna have to wear a scarf all week…" Misaki huffed.

"You don't have a physical fitness class of any sort, do you?" Usami asked, venturing lower and leaving a trail of hickeys down Misaki's front. When he reached his navel, Misaki's fingers wove through his hair, gripping tightly to stop him.

"U-Usagi-san… all this isn't really necessary this time- ah… the truth is… the phone already got me… um… can you just…"

"Oh? What's that?" Usami glanced up with a smirk. "Tell me directly what it is you want, Misaki."

"Usagi-san… " Misaki sat up, slowly, caressing Usami's cheeks with his hands and guiding his lover's lips to his own, making a weak attempt at dominance as he slid his tongue into Usami's hot mouth.

Misaki pulled back before Usami could even try to dominate _this _kiss, and he kissed Usami's lips, gently, before whispering in a soft voice.

"…You know what I want, Usagi-san…"

Usami had been turned on by this boy countless times in the past, and each time, he felt he was more turned on than he'd ever been before…

This time was no exception.

He pushed Misaki back down onto the bed, undoing his jeans as he nipped at his lover's ear.

Misaki groaned, bucking his hips to help Usami rid him of his jeans, and he pulled Misaki's boxers down as he rolled a nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the pink, rosy bud becoming erect from the attention. He placed his mouth over the other, and nudged Misaki's groin with his knee, delicately.

"Aaah… Usagi-san, I already told you… I just want you…" Misaki moaned, not bothering to hold back anymore.

Usami took pity on the poor teen, for once, and momentarily stopped molesting the poor boy. He took a moment to undo his own pants before pulling out his equally erect member.

"…Usagi-san, wait…" Misaki whimpered, slowly sitting up and pushing Usami away. "Usagi-san, this time… let's both…" He flushed deeply and Usami blinked.

"Both what?"

"…Ano…" Misaki tugged at his lover's tie, loosening it and tossing it. "…This time, let's both be naked…"

"Eh?" Usami stared at his lover, confused as Misaki's trembling fingers undid the buttons on his shirt.

"Because usually it's only me… you almost always have your pants on… it makes me feel vulnerable, somehow…"

"…" Usami smiled, lightly, caressing Misaki's cheek and kissing him, gently, on the lips. He shrugged out of his button-up shirt and let Misaki tug his pants down, before he shifted, tossing them somewhere along with his underwear and socks.

Misaki, was completely naked, too, save for his socks, which he reached for, but Usami couldn't hold back any longer, so he pinned Misaki to the bed and poked a finger into the brunette's mouth.

Misaki blushed deeper, shutting his eyes in embarrassment and sucking on his lover's finger until it was moist and slippery.

Usami then slid the finger quite easily into Misaki, pushing in slowly to make it easy on the college student to adjust, before he curled his finger and pushed it against Misaki's prostate.

Misaki cried out, rather loudly, nails digging into Usami's back, imprinting small, bloody crescent shapes beneath them.

"Misaki… I'm going to take you… this time I don't think I can hold back."

"Do you ever?" Misaki huffed, flustered as that teasing finger left him and without any further preparation, Usami rammed his cock inside Misaki's tense, tight ass.

Misaki felt himself screaming out, but there was no sound to be heard, save for Usami's panting and soft groan.

The teen felt the muscles on his lover's back tense under his digging fingernails and the hot breath on his neck and ear as empty nothings were whispered to him, and he shut his eyes, feeling his lover fill him up and ram over and over into that sweet spot inside him that kept sending him over the edge.

If Usami was whispering something to him, it sounded distant and far away, despite that his lover's lips were on his ear, if he was trying to convey his love with his words, it was unnecessary; Misaki could feel his Usagi-san's love in his tender touches, his gentle kisses along his jaw, and his hot seed leaking inside…

He realized he'd stopped breathing when Usami grabbed hold of his dick and started squeezing and pumping it in that cold hand of his…

Misaki's fingers weakened and trembled, his nails pulling out of the skin on his lover's back as he relinquished control and wrapped his arms, rather limply, around Usami's neck as the man brought him to higher and higher levels of pleasure.

He felt the muscles of his lower body tense and strain, his legs wrapped tightly around Usami's waist and he felt the pressure building up in his nether regions, Usami's cold hand on his hip, probably leaving an unintentional bruise, the man's huge cock filling him up and abandoning him before returning, filling him with warmth….

The sounds of sex filled the room, panting, moaning, grunting and groaning, the sound of Usami's balls slapping against the flesh on his ass, the squishy, gooey sound of his lover's cock forcing pre-cum out of his ass…

He felt the pressure build up

And build up

And build up…!!

With a soft scream, he came, all over his lover's stomach and chest, and he moaned softly when he felt Usami orgasm inside of him.

They both shuddered, grunting and panting softly. Usami collapsed on top of his lover, burying his face in Misaki's sweat-drenched neck.

The phone made another vibrating noise and the two glanced at it.

It didn't continue, however, so Usami ignored it.

"It might be important." Misaki grumbled, sitting up and pushing off an exhausted Usami, "and like I said before, I have homework… you should do your best to rewrite that story, too…" He reached for his cell and his eyes widened, suddenly. "…Usagi-san… um… actually… have you already gotten a new computer?"

"Yeah, why?" Usami mumbled, turning over and wrapping his arms around Misaki's waist, almost as if silently pleading that Misaki just stay in bed with him a little longer.

"…I was working on an assignment at that time, too, an important one, so I backed up the whole computer on a disk I think I have in my room…"

Slowly, Usami turned to Misaki, trying to look as unaffected by this sudden realization as possible. "The whole computer? Including my files?"

"Yeah, especially yours," 'Oops, why did I say ESPECIALLY yours?! Baka jibun! Maybe he won't notice…'

"_Especially _mine?" Usami blinked.

'Damnit. Well I can't very well say it's because I was going to spy and find out what kind of pervert things he's writing about me or what pictures my brother sent him of me… so I'll just tell him it was because I've always loved and respected his work and so I did it as a precaution!!'

"…Well, the truth is…" Misaki smiled, brightly. "…I wanted to check and make sure you weren't writing me out of character and doing perverted things to me and I wanted to see what weird pictures you had my brother send you, like you always do!"

'What the hell? How did that happen?! Oh yeah… love… honesty… all that… damn!'

"…Well, let's find out!" Usami nudged Misaki's head with his foot, annoyed. "Go on."

Misaki huffed, wrapping himself in the blanket and making his way to the door as Usami stretched.

He hurried to his room and checked his drawer, pulling out the back-up hard-drive and plugging it into his computer. It then dawned on him that he didn't really know what he was looking for, so he unplugged it and headed, slowly… carefully… down the stairs, humming loudly the whole way so that Usami wouldn't randomly run out, not knowing he was there, and stomp him over, killing the hard drive back up in the process…

He entered the room and gently sent it on the desk. "Hey, where did my phone go?"

"Zzzzzzz…."

"…" Misaki sighed, dropping the blanket to the floor and heading into the bathroom, running a cloth under some hot water before wringing it out and heading back into the room, climbing onto the bed and washing off his lover's stomach and torso.

"Mn…" Usami reached up, tiredly, but Misaki simply caught his wrist and set it aside, finishing. "Misa…"

"Usagi-san?" Misaki whispered, brushing Usami's bangs aside. "I know you're tired… but if you just take a look on my back-up, you might find that you can nap without stressing."

"Mmm…" Usami groaned, rolling over onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. "I never stress when I nap. Napping is what you do to ESCAPE the stress."

"…But then when you wake up, doesn't the stress crash down on you tenfold?" Miskai huffed.

"…Mm…" Usami sat up, heading over to the computer and taking a look. He typed away as Misaki reached over for his cell.

"Ah, when did you save it?" Usami asked as he clicked the mouse.

"I think… last Thursday?" Misaki stated. "Because we had an assignment due on Friday."

"…It' locked… password locked… I'll have to go into safe mode… I hate safe mode…" He sighed. "Why would you password lock it?"

"Why do you think?" Misaki huffed. "Privacy!"

"Just because YOU don't respect the privacy of others," Usami grumbled as he waited for the computer to restart.

Misaki huffed, stubbornly, flipping open his phone and gawking when it powered off. "NOO!!"

"What is it?" Usami lit up another cigarette.

"My phone powered off! What if it's an emergency or something, and YOU didn't let me answer it?!"

"…What emergency? If it were Takahiro, he'd call the house phone."

As if on cue, the phone rang, and the two both jumped, startled.

"…Uah! This is just like in the book Sumi-sempai lent me!" Misaki exclaimed, hurrying back downstairs. Usami followed, close behind.

Misaki leapt off the fifth step, stumbled and rolled in a very ninja-esq manner before darting to the ringing phone and picking up. "Hell- o…" he trailed off.

"…You're gonna die in seven days?" Usami asked, cocking his head to the side.

"NO… I got there too late." Misaki pouted, hanging up.

"Impossible, after all of those martial arts moves?" Usami asked, flopping down on the couch and picking up a small Suzuki-san, making it run, stumble and roll onto the floor for emphasis.

"…WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE ME?!" Misaki fumed, running over to his lover.

"I don't think it was comparable to the stunt you pulled- be more careful, by the way…"

"I'm healthy! And fit! Also, I remember how to fall! Niichan taught me once, watch!" He hurried over to an empty space on the carpet and took a few steps forward, then let himself fall, rolling into it and ending up on his feet, standing, arms raised in the air. "Ta-daaa!"

With Usami's help, Suzuki-san did the same thing. Misaki glowered.

"YOU ARE MAKING FUN OF ME!!"

"No, Suzuki-san is just imitating you. He wants to be more like Misaki, because he's jealous."

"…" Misaki huffed, waving his hand away, annoyed and heading into the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner? I'll get started on it!"

"Misaki."

"What?" Misaki replied.

"I want Misaki for dinner." Usami picked up Misaki's pack and put it on the larger Suzuki-san. A book slipped out and landed on the floor.

"Eh? A novel…" Usami picked it up. "…Sumi… ah-!"

"Seriously, we can have curry, or steamed…" Misaki trailed off when he sensed a dark aura behind him. Slowly, he turned to Usami, who was holding the book up. "UAH-!! YOU GO THROUGH MY THINGS?! What happened to respecting peoples' privacy?! This is exactly why I password locked-"

"Why do you read HIS books but procrastinate when it comes to mine?" Usami huffed from around the cigarette between his lips.

"Aaah-ahaha-ahahaha…" Misaki rubbed the back of his head, nervously. "We-well… it's not that I don't read yours, um, this uh… this book is for a class- yeah, we have to read-"

"I already know all of the books you have to read for your lit class, Misaki, Hiroki gave me a list!"

"…" Perhaps this could save him. "You brought him up again!" Misaki pretended to fume, and Usami blinked, taken aback.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Misaki sighed, shoulders slumping.

"No, I don't mind… though it IS kinda creepy that you'd ask my teacher what books I have to read…"

"I thought, at first, that if it was possible to provide you with the books from my own shelf, it would cut back your expenses, thus making things a little easier on Takahiro."

"…Ah… I see…" Misaki blinked. "Ah-! Takahiro!"

"NO! I didn't mean to bring up-"

"My phone! I have to power it up!" Misaki raced past his lover and into the living room, grabbing his recharger out of his backpack and plugging it into the wall, plugging the other end into his cell and letting it recharge. "There. Now in about twenty minutes, I should be able to find out what's going on."

"…It's not Takahiro- it was your senior, remember?" Usami huffed, folding his arms and leaning against the doorway.

"Ah, right… but it still may be important." Misaki huffed. "So, dinner?"

"…Curry is fine…" Usami pulled up a seat at the table, looking over Sumi's father's book, curiously.

Another silence hung in the air, this time a slightly more comfortable one. Misaki got to work on cutting vegetables and doing the dishes, but after ten to fifteen minutes, he shut off the water, alleviating the room of any noises that might interfere with the conversation he'd been wanting to have with his lover for some time now.

"Usagi-san?" He asked.

"Mm?" Came the older man's reply.

"…Regarding Kamijou-sensei…" Misaki trailed off for a moment, contemplating on how he should word his question.

"…What about him?" Usami sighed, becoming quickly irritated with this topic.

"…How often do you see him, now?"

"Eh?" Usami looked up.

"Well, you were childhood friends, right? So how often do you see him now?"

Usami gave the question some thought. "…Well, occasionally we'll bump into one another, but for the most part… it's usually business-related, somehow or another…"

"…Business related?" Misaki blinked. "He's a professor-"

"Associate professor."

"Ah- well, he's a literature instructor and you're a novelist… how does that… er…"

Usami put out his cigarette and reached for another, but Misaki snatched the pack away.

"Usagi-san! If you start chain smoking, I won't kiss you anymore!"

". . ." Usami stared at his lover, indifferently. "…What constitutes as 'chain smoking?'"

Annoyed with his lover's noncommittal attitude toward the threat, Misaki crushed the pack in his hand and threw it away. "From now on, you can smoke once an hour."

". . . You don't really even kiss me, now. I always kiss you."

Misaki huffed, frustrated, and pulled the pack out of the trash, pulling a seemingly undamaged cigarette from the pack and raising it for Usami to see.

The older man held his hand out for it, expectantly.

Misaki lowered the cigarette to the stove, waiting for it to light up.

"…"

"…"

"…If you're trying to make a point, somehow, you're not going about it the right way." Usami smirked. "To light it up, you have to inhale while the tip is burning. You've really never tried it, huh? Good for- MISAKI!!" He gawked, standing when Misaki leaned down, inhaling while holding the cigarette to the stove.

The boy pulled back, coughing and wheezing, and dropping the cigarette.

Usami stomped it out before it could burn the kitchen floor, sighing and rubbing his head.

"Idiot," He muttered, "What're you trying to do?"

"If you don't give up smoking, I'll do it, too!" Misaki snapped, raspily, face a tad green.

Usami watched him for a moment before he turned to stifle his laughter.

"…I mean it!"

"So does this mean you're worried about me?" Usami smirked.

"…Usagi-san… from now on, if you can avoid a cigarette for one hour, I will give you a kiss." Misaki huffed.

"…Mmm…?" Usagi's eyes widened as he grinned. "You will, huh? Of your own accord?"

"…Because," Misaki frowned, sadly, "The truth is, I don't want Usagi-san to get sick or die… so… from now on… please… let's do our best to help you quit smoking…"

Usami's grin slowly faded and he sighed, heading over and wrapping his arms around Misaki.

"Eh?" Misaki blinked, slowly bringing his arms up to hold Usami back.

"…You're so cute, Misaki…"

"…Um… s-so… you never answered… how is your job related to Kamijou-sensei's?"

"Ah, ever since we were children, he would read over my work… so whenever I have a new story, I run it by him… actually, there's been more than one occasion in which he'd caught an error my editor wasn't able to. Occasionally, he'd also give me a few notes, as well." Usami nuzzled his lover's neck.

"…Uh…" Misaki closed his eyes, not so interested in that topic, now that his lover's hand was slowly sliding up and down the small of his back…

'I'm turning into mush… no… I'm turning into a girl…' Misaki silently chuckled at himself. 'I guess Usagi-san should have based the girl character off of me instead of himself…'

"…His mother also likes me very much…" Usami continued, nuzzling Misaki's hair. "…So she sometimes sends me things… peaches, apricots, that sort of thing…"

"Mmm…" Misaki inhaled the scent of his lover's shirt. "…Usagi-san…"

"Hmm?" Usami pushed Misaki away a little.

"...I won't ask about him anymore." Misaki promised, leaning up and kissing Usami on the lips.

"…Now I get a cigarette."

"That's not how it works!"

Misaki's cell phone sounded from the living room, vibrating against the surface it had been set on and slowly moving until it fell off.

Usami took his lover's place at the stove as Misaki headed into the living room to retrieve his cell.

"Usagi-san, you should go check your computer now, right?" Misaki called as he picked his phone off of the ground.

He flipped it open and checked the message he'd received twenty or so minutes prior.

His eyes narrowed on the message's contents and Usami snuck up on him from behind, wrapping his arms around Misaki, lovingly and rubbing his cheek against Misaki's.

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki mumbled, raising the phone for him to see, but Usami snapped it shut and buried his face in Misaki's nape.

"I've told you before, Misaki, I don't like anyone or anything else taking up our precious time together."

"…Kamijou-sensei was taken to the hospital…"

Usami froze before slowly pulling away, raising the phone and flipping it open.

Misaki snapped it closed, frowning and turning to his lover, eyes frightened and shaking. "…Sumi-sempai says it's just a rumor… but… Usagi-san… he also said that on Friday he happened upon Kamijou-sensei walking home late in the evening, and that he was hurt… that he had meant to return Kamijou-sensei's things to him today, but since he wasn't in class, he couldn't… also that… there was blood on the suitcase he was going to return to Kamijou-sensei… d-do you think… maybe he was lying about having gotten a ride?"

"…" Usami blinked at his lover before closing his eyes, bringing a hand up to his forehead. "…Did he happen to mention which hospital?"

"No, since it was just a rumor…" Misaki frowned. "…Usagi-san… do you know where Kamijou-sensei lives?"

"He moved, recently." Usami frowned. "I meant to catch the latest address, but we haven't spoken in a while- before Friday… and I figured since I had his number and knew where he worked…" He headed for the home phone and dialed a number, holding the phone to his ear as he watched Misaki. "Ask your senior how hurt Hiroki seemed."

"…" Misaki nodded, and dialed Sumi's number.

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Shorter chapter this time… the lemon was actually forced, (I hope you couldn't tell), since (contrary to my kink fic), I don't enjoy writing non-con, really… so when I write Misaki getting laid, it probably seems a tad OOC since I prefer to write consensual lemon parts… Also, I hope you can't tell, but lately my writing style has been weak at best- I'm extremely tired… (been pulling quite a few all nighters studying and writing this during my breaks). Next chapter will be far more exciting, I promise, all of the characters/couples come together- hurray!

**Chapter 8 Summary: **After taking Kamijou home, Nowaki realizes Kamijou isn't merely suffering from a mere fever, and he rushes him to the hospital. Both Romantica as well as Terrorist arrive to offer their support, hurray, it's the long-awaited crossover chapter, all three couples come together! Well… Kamijou mostly sleeps, but he wakes up at one point and, in his disoriented stupor, somehow comes to the conclusion that he must be in the hospital because something's happened to Nowaki! XD Yes, there shall be slight crack, mwahahaha. Ah- and there's also a dramatic confrontation between Nowaki and Usami for those of you who are more interested in that, ohohoho.

**Chapter 9-12 Summary: It's a secret.**


	8. Mix: A Trip to the Hospital

**AN: **This is chapter 8, the chapter you've all been waiting for. All three couples come together.

**Warnings: **Yaoi, obviously. Spoilers for up to Vol. 10

**Chapter 8 Summary: **Hiroki is taken to the hospital after Nowaki realizes how unhealthy he is, and Kamijou's friends come pay him a visit to make sure he's alright. There are various confrontations with regard to what happened last Friday, and new friendships are developed.

**Disappointing News: **No smut in this chapter- sorry guys. V.v' yes, it's the longest chapter so far, and yet, no smut… *gets bricked*

_**See Cultural/Japanese Notes, and Footnotes at end of chapter(s)**_

-..- . -..- **Chapter 8: A Trip to the Hospital **-..- . -..-

-..- . -..-

Nowaki laid his unconscious lover down on the couch and slowly removed his shoes. "Hiro-san, please wake up… I need to do a thorough inspection before taking you to the hospital…"

"Nngh." Came a grunt of a reply from his lover, who merely twitched in an attempt at waking himself.

Ignoring his lover's soft, mumbled protests, Nowaki propped him up and tugged at an eyelid, only to be slapped across the face, rather harshly.

On instinct, he veered away, clutching his cheek, only to realize that it had been an automatic reflex of some sort; the associate professor was still more than half-asleep.

More carefully this time, Nowaki slowly, gently brushed his lover's sweat-matted bangs aside and felt his forehead. He definitely had a fever, but what else could he determine?

"Hiro-san, open your eyes right now." Nowaki tried using a commanding tone, and Kamijou's eyes slowly, dazedly opened half-way.

Nowaki let out a soft sigh of relief. "Hiro-san, can you please cooperate for just a minute? I need to ask you some important questions, and I need you to answer honestly."

"Why am I not at work?" Kamijou asked, smiling lightly and raising his hand up to rest atop a confused Nowaki's head. "Aww, Nowaki… you're so much shorter than me!"

". . . I'm kneeling in front of you, Hiro-san!" Nowaki huffed. "…Disoriented, huh? How about your throat? How's it feel?"

"My throat?" Kamijou asked, rubbing his throat, shrugging. "I've been coughing all day, how should it feel? Nnh…" He bent over, suddenly, clutching his stomach.

"Hiro-san, what's the matter?" Nowaki asked, concerned, resting his hands on his lover's shoulders.

"Mmm… it keeps getting worse… Nowaki… when did we get home?"

"Moments ago, Hiro-san, but… a taxi is waiting outside, if we need to take you to the hospital, I can take you, but I knew you'd be upset if I took you when there was no need for it, so I had to be sure."

"Sure of what?" Kamijou inquired, sinking down onto his side, that dopey smile still planted on his face.

"Hiro-san! You are very sick! Please pay attention to me and tell me exactly what happened Friday night!"

"…" Kamijou frowned. He _did _need to confront Nowaki about that incident… but where to start? He wanted that topic to be brought up on his own terms… when he came to terms with it…

He turned over, facing away from Nowaki, who understandably fumed, seizing hold of Kamijou's shoulder and turning him roughly.

"Hiro-san! Don't you understand your-"

"Stop yelling at me!" Kamijou barked back, knocking Nowaki's hand away. "I'm fine, I just need to nap! It's fine anyway, Professor Miyagi said so, so just let me sleep a little-"

"It's more than sleep, Hiro-san! Professor Miyagi said that you've been clutching at your stomach all day, that cough is terrible, too!"

"And my leg…"

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked. "Your leg hurts?"

"…Nnn… a little…" Kamijou admitted, slowly reaching down to tug his pant leg tightly over the wound in an attempt to hide it, though it was already well hidden beneath his slacks. "But it's a dull pain… nothing important."

"Nothing important?!" Nowaki snapped, taking Kamijou's hand and moving it, forcefully.

"No!" Kamijou struggled, but Nowaki managed to tug his pant leg up enough to see the obviously infected gash that had been cut across the slighter man's shin.

"…Hiro-san!" Nowaki exclaimed, gripping Kamijou by the shoulders. "What happened?! Why would you keep that from me?!"

Kamijou's head fell, pitifully, and he let out a soft sigh. "…I didn't want to have to explain what happened… I was going to tell you, eventually… the truth is… after I visited Akihiko's… place… on…" His head sank with every word and Nowaki picked up his unconscious lover, hurrying out of the apartment, grateful that the cab driver who had driven them here had waited for them.

-..- . -..-

Nowaki clung to the limp hand of his lover as Kamijou Hiroki lay in a hospital bed, unconscious, ointment caked onto his gash, covered by long bandages, a damp cloth on his forehead that needed re-dampening, and more bandages were wrapped tightly around his lower abdomen. He lay, in a hospital gown, looking exhausted, almost dead with his wan face and short gasps for breath, making his chest rise and fall quickly, but the movement was reassuring in that it proved he was alive and well.

…

Well, he was _alive_ anyway.

There was a knock on the door of the small, white, square hospital room, and Nowaki hesitantly glanced over his shoulder at his blonde sempai, who stood in the doorway, a clipboard tucked under one arm, the other still raised in a knocking-motion.

"Nowaki, there's some guys here who I think are looking for you and that haughty guy there." Tsumori gestured to Kamijou with his clipboard.

"…Alright…" Nowaki turned back to Kamijou, stroking his lover's hand, gently, before kissing it and setting it on his chest. "Hiro-san, I think we have a couple of visitors, I'm going to check it out really quick, but I'll be right back."

He received no response, not that he had expected to, Kamijou was still out cold from the surgery.

Nowaki passed his senior, who stole a quick glance at Kamijou's unconscious form, before following Nowaki, rubbing his head from the memory of having been hit so hard by the bastard brunette.

"He's a lot 'cuter' when he's asleep." The blonde muttered, teasingly.

"Hiro-san is cute when he sleeps, it's true, but he's cute no matter what." Nowaki replied, almost mechanically, and his eyes fell on the two visitors.

"Ah- there he is." Shinobu stood, smiling excitedly at the sight of Nowaki.

Miyagi turned, smiling, too. "Yo!" the professor waved, smiling a friendly smile, a cigarette settled between his pearly whites. "How's Kamijou?"

"Ah- you're not supposed to smoke in here." Tsumori blinked, holding his hand out for the cigarette.

"Yeah, yeah…" Miyagi huffed, forking it over before smiling to Nowaki. "Well?"

"He had surgery, like I told you over the phone, it was a success… he's also already been through post-anesthesia care, uh… thank you very much for covering Hiro-san's classes, and for coming to visit, but right now he's out cold, he probably shouldn't be seen by anyone…" (1)

"Even people who are unconscious can subconsciously pick up on things… we just want to steal a second to let him know he has friends who want him to make it through everything fine and dandy!" Miyagi argued, intent on getting his way before he reached up and ruffled Nowaki's hair. "And you, too. We're here for you, as well."

"That's right!" Shinobu chirped, approaching Nowaki with a bag he raised up. "Miyagi and I made this… Miyagi, mostly…" He blushed, a tad ashamed. "So you know it's really good- we were really worried about you! We thought you should eat… Kamijou the Devi- err… I mean… uh… Kamijou-san probably can't eat for now, but we made extra in case he can…"

"You brought dinner?" Nowaki blinked, taking it. "Thank you, Takatsuki-kun."

"Ah- like I said…" Shinobu turned, blushing and scratching the back of his head, "It was mostly Miyagi… I may be persistent and determined when it comes to mastering the art of cooking, but even I know when to take a seat and let a real chef prepare a good meal when it comes to sick people…"

"Made some soup!" Miyagi nodded. "Even sick people can have soup, right? What kind of surgery did he have? Appendicitis?"

"Ah- the surgery is called appendectomy, but yes, he had appendicitis… and actually, they'll probably try to give him liquids tomorrow morning… if he can tolerate water, they'll try to work him up to solid foods."

"Ah…" Miyagi pouted. "Well, more for you, I guess."

"We can refrigerate it and he can eat it tomorrow- he'll surely be grateful… I know the food here wouldn't be to Hiro-san's liking…"

"His condition sounded serious, the way you talked on the phone." Miyagi rested his arm on Shinobu's head like an arm rest. "I heard what happens if they don't get it out in time…"

"What happens?" Shinobu blinked.

"BOOM! It explodes!"

"…It explodes with a boom?!"

"Of course not." Nowaki sighed, annoyed. "Anyway, his appendix hadn't ruptured… err, but anyway, the surgery was a complete success! If we hadn't caught it earlier, he probably… no… he definitely would have died…"

Nowaki trembled at the thought, even his eyes shook.

"Ah!" Shinobu pushed Miyagi's arm off of his head, annoyed. "Miyagi! How could you not send him to the hospital, earlier?!"

"Me, too." Nowaki frowned, disheartened by the turn of events. "I definitely should have noticed… he also has pneumonia, which I'm sure you already could tell from his manic coughing, also, he had a bad cut on his leg that had been badly infected…"

"A cut?" Shinobu asked.

"I'm not sure about the details." Nowaki frowned. "Anyway… he's just come out of surgery, so even though I know you want to see him,"

"It's absolutely impossible." Tsumori huffed.

"Says who?" Miyagi huffed, disliking this cigarette-stealer.

"The guy who helped operate on him." Tsumori poked his thumb at himself.

"…I see…" Miyagi nodded. "I understand."

"Good." The good doctor pulled out his clipboard. "Now then, if you'd like to wait a few hours," he looked up and gawked. The three were gone.

-..- . -..-

"Ka-mi-jo-u! This is your beloved Miyagi-kyouju-ou-sama speaking!" Miyagi was saying in a steady tone right next to Kamijou's ear. "I wish you well, okay?! Don't forget our students need you! Their literary futures depend on you! *I* also need you, Kamijou! You know I can't _live_ without you! So you better pull through, o-"

"Uuuuhkay, that's enough." Shinobu pulled his obnoxious lover away, irritated. "You're going to make him purposefully go into a comatose state. Ah- Kamijou-sensei, this is Takatsuki Shinobu… my father sends his best wishes… get well soon, I guess… we're all pulling for you."

"What a beautiful sentiment, Shinobu-chin!"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Alright, that's enough." Tsumori huffed and puffed from the doorway. "What part of 'a post-surgery patient needs their rest' do you not understand?!"

"…We were just about to go." Miyagi huffed. "But you said we can visit officially in a couple of hours, when will he be back up and at it?"

"Well, if, by that, you mean to ask when he will be CONSCIOUS, that might be a while… the drugs should begin to wear off within the next few hours… in the meantime, you can wait here… we have a cafeteria downstairs, but in my opinion, the food is weak at best."

"Thank you." Miyagi smiled, wrapping his arm around Shinobu and pulling him out. Nowaki just stood in the door, sadly.

"Of course that rule doesn't apply to you, Nowaki…" Tsumori tapped his clipboard to his mouth a few times, eyes narrowed. "…Nowaki, you actually have a shift that starts here within the next couple hours… how would you like for me to take over for you? You can repay me, later."

"Sempai…"

"Don't worry about it." Tsumori smiled. "This is more important."

"Thank you, I'll definitely pay you back!"

-..- . -..-

Miyagi and Shinobu sat in a comfortable silence as they waited for any update on Kamijou's condition. They heard the sound of hurried footsteps and both glanced up, simultaneously.

"Hey, you." A tall, light-haired man grabbed a random doctor by the arm, yanking him over. A younger, dark haired guy somehow broke between the two, and asked, in a far more patient and polite manner;

"Pardon me; do you happen to know where patient Kamijou Hiroki is being kept?"

"Ah… no…" The man muttered, clutching his bruising arm.

"Yah-ho! Takahashi-kuuun!!!" Miyagi waved and Shinobu glanced from Miyagi to Misaki, curiously.

"Ah… I-forgot-your-name-kyouju!" Misaki hurried over, pulling Usami with him. "Usagi-san, this is-"

"Professor Miyagi Yoh, of the literature department, I've met him." Usami nodded to him. "You here for Hiroki?"

"Sure am, but he can't see anyone so long as the shark is looming."

" . . . What?" Usami stared at him as though he had a duck growing out of the side of his face.

"Daaadum… daaadum… daaa-dum dadum dadum dadum- dum dum dum!" Miyagi and Shinobu both sang quietly, gesturing to Tsumori, who was rounding a corner and had passed them, glowering at them.

He'd had to listen to their crappy attempt at the JAWS theme every time he had neared them or Kamijou's room all night. Didn't they understand _he_ was assigned to the man?!

He passed them, anyway, irritated, but understanding their boredom. He just wished he didn't have to be the butt of their jokes. He noticed another man in the waiting room, lighting up a cigarette and he thought twice about approaching him, but still headed over to confiscate it. This was a hospital for God's sake!

"Coast is clear!" Miyagi pointed. "Kamijou's right through there."

"Misaki, want to come with me?" Usami asked, and Misaki hesitantly shook his head, no.

"He's your friend, Usagi-san, you should go ahead and say hello…"

"…I'll be back." Usami respected his lover's decision and hurried into the room Miyagi had pointed to.

"Well, Takatsuki-kun, something tells me a lot went on after I dropped you and Kamijou off on Friday." Miyagi glanced over to see Tsumori round a corner and he snuck out a cigarette.

"Ah… I don't think you're supposed to smoke in here…" Misaki tried diverting the subject.

Shinobu folded his arms, taking a look at Misaki. "…Are you one of Miyagi's students?"

"Ah- well… no, not really…" Misaki replied, holding his hand out. "My name is Takahashi Misaki, and I'm one of Kamijou-sensei's literature students, it's nice to meet you. "

Shinobu shook his hand, strongly and firmly. "My name is Takatsuki Shinobu."

"Are you also a student?" Misaki inquired.

"I just got into T. Uni."

"UAH!" Misaki gawked. "Really?! That's amazing!"

"I wanted to go to M. Uni, but this guy here, _my lover_, thought I was making a stupid mistake… after some time, I decided to go to the best school, since getting in wasn't a problem."

"Ah, that's always a good idea, if I could have made it into T. Uni with as much confidence as you, I definitely would have, too! Ah… that's not really true… I chose M Uni because my brother… Err… did you say… lover?" Realization dawned on him as he looked from Shinobu to Miyagi, who saw Tsumori coming and hurriedly snubbed out his cigarette.

"I'll _pretend_ I didn't see it **THIS TIME**." The blonde snapped as he passed without looking away from his clipboard.

"Ahahaha- You sure get your miles in, ahahahaha, you should get a pedometer!" Miyagi waved bye-bye as the younger man rounded yet another corner.

"Yes, we're lovers." Shinobu leaned against Miyagi for emphasis, narrowing his eyes.

"And your name is Miyagi-sensei, right?" Misaki smiled.

"That's right! Miyagi-sensei, or Miyagi-tentei!"

"…Ten…tei…" Misaki's brow twitched. "Um, actually… so wait… you're not Kamijou's lover?"

"No…" Miyagi blinked.

"Why? What EVER gave you THAT impression?" Shinobu huffed, leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his cheek against his palm, eyes narrowed.

"Ah… just… I guess because they were both gay and because they seemed to have good chemistry when Miyagi-sensei had dropped me off on Friday…"

"Yes, they _do _have good chemistry, don't they?" Shinobu scoffed, leaning away and shutting his eyes, pouting.

"…Did I just get you into trouble?" Misaki glanced, nervously at Miyagi, who ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry about it." The professor told him. "So who do I have to FLUNK around here to get a few answers about what happened on Friday?"

"Ah-!" Misaki gawked, the word 'flunk' stabbing into him like a razor. "I-I actually, I mean, that is- it's a rather personal matter! Y-you see, U-Usagi-san a-and I a-are a-actually l-l-l-"

"I gathered that much already, I'm not stupid." Miyagi huffed. "You two look like lovers, and you even give off that air."

"W-we do?!" Misaki squeaked.

"So what happened?" Miyagi asked.

"Tha-that's… I mean… sh-shouldn't you… err… what bus… err…"

"It's none of your business! Why do you care so much about the affairs of other people, anyway?" Shinobu interrupted.

Misaki let out a breath of relief and glanced thankfully at Shinobu.

"Hey, what do I call you?" Shinobu asked Misaki, who blinked.

"Well, if you're also a student, uh… what year are you?"

"I'll be a freshman, I guess."

"I'm a sophomore; I guess that makes you my kohai…"

"Is it okay if I just call you Misaki?"

"Eh?" Misaki blinked, taken aback.

"AAAH! Forgive him!" Miyagi waved his arms about, spastically, "H-he spent a long time in Australia, so he's forgotten the fundamentals of Japanese MANNERS!" He nudged Shinobu, annoyed.

"Ah…" Misaki blinked.

"Takahashi-sempai, then?" Shinobu asked. "Or Takahashi-san? Takahashi-kun?"

"…A-anything's fine… it's just that my brother and Usagi-san are the only ones who call me Misaki, so… it's sort of…"

"Aaah, I understand… well, everyone calls me Shinobu, so you can just call me Shinobu. Of course, if you insist with the keigo, that's fine."

"…Then, Shinobu, that's fine… you can call me Takahashi if that better suits your personality." Misaki shrugged, sighing. Hell, when would he ever see this guy again, anyway?

"Good. Takahashi," Shinobu grabbed his wrist, suddenly, "Let's go get something from the vending machine, Takahashi."

"Eh?!" Misaki gawked as he was dragged away.

"Ah- Shinobu-chin, are you mad at me?!" Miyagi cried.

"OF COURSE I AM!" Shinobu hurried off with Misaki in tow.

"Aah… lonely…" Miyagi folded his arms, annoyed. 'Now let's see… Takahashi-kun is Usami-sensei's current lover… Kamijou told me that Usami-sensei was his childhood friend… Nowaki is Kamijou's lover… what am I missing…? There was tension between Takahashi-kun and Kamijou… Kamijou mentioned not looking forward to seeing one of his students…'

He brainstormed ideas, trying to theorize what had happened as he waited for his lover and Misaki to return.

'Wait… what about that incident Kamijou was blabbering on and on about that night we were celebrating his promotion? Could that drunken story about role-play have been true? I mean, I kinda figured Kamijou was a homo after that, but… uuuuhn…. I think I'm starting to get it… a smoke would help, though,' he reached for one, and stopped when he noticed Tsumori, who seemed to sense the movement, his eyes darting over to Miyagi, making the man jump slightly, nervously.

-..- . -..-

"Hiroki- ah…" Usami entered and froze when he noticed Nowaki sitting beside Kamijou, clinging, gently, to his hand.

Nowaki glanced back, equally as shocked at the man's sudden presence, but he turned back to Kamijou after his mind registered that Usami must have also been concerned.

"Hello, Usami-san." Nowaki greeted him as he watched over Kamijou, pressing a tender kiss to Kamijou's hand.

"…How is he? I've heard nothing but rumors and I want the truth." Usami stated.

"I'll tell you about his condition if you promise to explain what happened on Friday." Nowaki frowned. He knew Hiroki wanted to tell him himself… he also knew that Hiroki would be angry at Nowaki for manipulating Usami into telling him… but as of now, there might be other information that he needed to be made aware of that related to Hiroki's health, and Hiroki's health was his number one priority right now.

"…Alright, but you'll have to answer some questions, too, like what all he's told you." Usami replied.

'So there is something to tell, hmm…?' Nowaki thought, bitterly, but brushed that thought aside. "His appendix was going to burst, so we surgically removed it."

"Ah- appendicitis? That's not something that happens suddenly…" Usami blinked.

"To be honest, Hiro-san probably had appendicitis before Friday… in fact, that's probably the case… however, he had caught a rather bad cold, a flu, and pneumonia as well, after walking home in the rain on Friday, or at least that's what I was able to gather… also, he was injured, and I assume it, too, must have happened on Friday."

"Injured?" Usami stared at his friend's serene face as he slept.

"This, here." Nowaki gently raised the sheet that had been placed over Hiroki's sleeping form, showing off the infected gash across the brunette's lower leg.

Usami stared at it, incredulously, before quickly averting his gaze.

Nowaki lowered the sheet, politely, before folding his arms. "So… because you were the last one to see Hiro-san before all this happened, you can understand why I'd want to ask you a few questions."

"Nowaki!"

Nowaki blinked, glancing up at Tsumori who was panting in the doorway, both fists on his hips, (though one held a clipboard, seemingly attached to his hand.) "If you want to question someone about the patient, please do it outside… as of now, you're a guest, and you know I'm going to great lengths to let you stay in here as it is… but my supervisor's riding my ass and he's stopping by tonight, can you hang out, out there? It's only another hour or so before visiting hours for this patient, anyway."

"…Thank you very much, sempai." Nowaki nodded, heading out along with Usami.

Usami looked around, confused. Misaki was missing. His heart skipped a beat, but he glanced at the dark haired professor who had greeted them when they'd arrived on this floor.

"Where'd Misaki go?" Usami asked, quickly.

Miyagi glanced up at him, seeming to study him for a moment before glancing at Nowaki, who wore the same annoyed expression he always wore when departing from Hiro-san and being forced to 'leave him in Miyagi's care,' so to say.

Realization dawned on Miyagi, and Nowaki, as if sensing it, sighed.

"Well?" Usami asked, not catching anything.

"They said they were going to the vending machine." Miyagi replied, smiling.

Nowaki sighed, again, sitting, before glancing up at Usami. "I know it's hard to accept, but all we can do for now is wait for Hiro-san to wake up, or at least until visiting hours… that should be about twelve."

"How is it that visiting hours are at midnight?" Miyagi asked, curiously.

"Ah- no, not really visiting hours for all patients, only those who have undergone surgery, by 'visiting hours' I don't mean it's a scheduled point in time, it's a number of hours after the operation."

"Ah, I see…"

Usami sat on the other side of Miyagi, trying to put some distance between himself and Nowaki, not wanting to have to reveal anything against Hiroki's wishes. He had no idea if Hiroki had ever mentioned their one-night fling, (could you even call it that?!), to Nowaki or not.

"We still need to talk, Usami-sensei… I don't want to venture too far from Hiro-san's room, but… perhaps a more private-"

"Excuse me." Miyagi stood, suddenly, clasping his hands together. "I'm not really involved directly with any of this, I'm only extremely concerned for Kamijou, but I know he'd probably want to see both of you before me anyway, by which I mean to say- err… well, what I'm trying to say is… ah, I only brought enough food for Nowaki-kun and Kamijou, therefore, I'll go ahead and run to a nearby fast-food restaurant… that way, the two of you can catch up on what you need to… you haven't eaten, have you, Usami-sensei? I can hear your stomach growling."

"Ah… I haven't eaten in three days, actually." Usami admitted.

The other two fell silent for a moment.

"Err, and then I'll also take the boys with me, since they seem to have a hankering for junk food."

"Junk food?" Shinobu asked as he and Misaki approached the small group from behind, holding piles of candy bars and sodas.

"Ah…" Nowaki stared at Misaki for a moment; he looked oddly familiar.

Likewise, Misaki stared back at the tall man.

"Misaki, this is Kamijou Hiroki's lover of 6 years, Kusama Nowaki." Usami introduced the two, not liking the odd way his lover was staring down the taller man.

"Ah, my name is Takahashi Misaki, it's nice to meet you." Misaki bowed slightly, rather than shaking the man's hand, since his arms were full.

"…Let's go to WacDonalds, guys." Miyagi placed one hand on either boy's head, leading the two away. "Na, you know what Usami-sensei likes, right?" He asked Misaki, who nodded, confused as to what was going on.

The brunette cast a glance over his shoulder and took quick note in the way Usami and Nowaki were staring/glaring at one another. His eyes narrowed, but he understood that anything that needed to be said between those two should be said between those two privately, so he resigned himself to go along with Miyagi and Shinobu on their little junk food expedition.

"And you, Nowaki-kun?!" Miyagi called.

"Ah…" Nowaki turned away from his glaring contest, "Whatever's fine, I'm not that hungry, and you still left me with all that food."

"Anything? Even prune-flavored sushi?!" Miyagi teased.

"…A hamburger is alright…" Nowaki blinked up at the man, who was obviously trying to get on his good side…

Still, he was here, pulling for Hiro-san, so perhaps he wasn't the jerk Hiroki had always made him out to be… or the jerk he always assumed him to be, anyway.

Sighing, he turned to the other jerk, folding his arms. "…You saw Hiro-san Friday, right?"

"Yes." Usami pulled out a cigarette and Nowaki snatched it, then handed it back.

"If you get caught smoking, you'll be put through hell."

"This situation is extremely stressful, someone who doesn't smoke wouldn't understand." Usami argued, and, as usual, he did what he wanted, lighting it up and taking a drag.

"…" Nowaki frowned, sighing. "Still, if you don't want to get kicked out, I suggest you adhere to the rules."

Usami tucked his pack away in his pocket. "…I saw him on Friday. When I came home, he was already there with Misaki. Hiroki and I had a long… awkward conversation… with Misaki joining in toward the end… Hiroki left after the awkward conversation, and it was probably… about fifteen or so minutes after he'd left when Misaki and I had realized it was raining outside. I called Hiroki, but he assured me that he had a ride. I don't know why I bought it… I should have checked anyway…"

"…And that was the last you saw of Hiro-san?" Nowaki frowned, eyes falling to the floor.

"It was, but I can provide some more information." Usami sighed, scratching his head. "But the thing is, the next part is just a rumor."

"A rumor?" Nowaki quickly looked up.

"Misaki has this jerk friend who is also in Hiroki's class. He's Misaki's classmate and Hiroki is their instructor."

"Un…" Nowaki nodded, following along.

"Well," Usami continued, taking another long drag, "This jerk, who I don't trust, by the way, so I don't know how credible he is, claimed to have been walking about on Friday night, as it was getting dark, and he barely saved Hiroki from getting hit by this car…"

"A car?!" Nowaki's eyes widened.

"He wasn't hit, however, the guy, his name is Sumi Keiichi, he mentioned that when Hiroki took a step, the puddle at his foot reddened in color, like he was injured and bleeding."

"…Yes, Hiro-san had a leg wound!"

"Right, you showed me," Usami muttered, annoyed. "But he also said there was blood on the briefcase Hiroki had left behind to get drenched in his seemingly disoriented state."

"…Ah… so it could have been that the force from the car knocked the brief case into Hiro-san's leg, or it could be that the car itself scratched him… either way, if what you're saying is true, I owe a debt of gratitude to this… Sumi Keiichi person for saving Hiro-san!"

"Nnn… I would just steer clear of him; he probably wouldn't have saved Hiroki if he didn't think his grade would be saved or something."

"He can't be that bad of a person if he saved Hiro-san…"

"Misaki, too, apparently… seems both of our uke are inobservant, careless idiots." Usami chuckled, softly. "And that brat I thought to be such a punk is actually going around saving random idiot uke."

Nowaki smiled lightly. "…So that's what happened… if there was a possibility the car hit, that may have explained the small lead poisoning we found… thankfully, it was treated… for now, Hiro-san seems to be alright…"

"What an angsty baka… I had no idea he'd just walk home after that! When he wakes up, I'll hit him."

"Your conversation must have had quite the effect on him…" Nowaki frowned, eying his lover's childhood friend. "But you don't care to share any of it with me, do you?"

"You want me to tell you, I've got no problems with it, but do you really want me to be the one to tell you, or do you want to hear it from Hiroki?" Usami asked, quirking a brow.

Nowaki frowned. "…The thing is… I don't know what happened between the two of you for sure… but… whatever it is, I think it must be too painful for Hiro-san to talk about, since he had a whole weekend to bring it up, but didn't…"

"…" Usami sighed, furiously. "Does he really dwell on one little incident so much? He met you right after, everything worked out fine…"

"…Met me right after?" Nowaki frowned. "…Then… I was right all along… whatever happened between you two… that… incident… surely must have been the reason Hiro-san was crying the day I met him."

Usami grit his teeth, feeling a sharp pang jolt through him and a stinging sensation in his chest.

So that's how it was…

He had made Hiroki cry…

And poor Hiroki, who had loved him for God only knew how long, had dwelled on that incident all this time… While Hiroki had gone on loving him, he was blind to it, loving Takahiro in the same way that Hiroki loved him, not even knowing… or perhaps a part of him did know… didn't want to acknowledge it… and thus that part of his subconscious was shoved all the way back into the deepest, darkest corner of his mind, confined to remain there until… until what? He hurt Hiroki and made the poor man finally confess?

His thoughts drifted as he sat in awkward silence with Hiroki's current, loyal, possessive, angry lover, and he wondered for a moment if Takahiro knew somewhere in the depths of his mind, how Usami had felt about him all that time…

How ironic would it be if, instead of rejecting Usami, he just kept quiet about it, only to let Usami continue in that way of living; longing for Takahiro's touch, his love, his warmth, not knowing it would never be returned, despite that the man could so easily reject him and simply put an end to his misery, encourage him to find love with someone else… how many years that he had wasted pursuing Takahiro, unsure as to whether someday his love would be returned, would he have been given to go on living normally, or-

"Usami-sensei," Nowaki broke Usami from his thoughts, and the slightly shorter man turned to him, curiously.

"What is it?"

"…You've known Hiro-san for a long time… as much as I hate to admit it… you probably know him as well as I do…"

"No… there's probably something intimate between you two that I'll never have; something I've never wanted, really… because I have that same intimate something with Misaki, so I don't need it from anyone else."

"Still…" Nowaki sighed. "You'd definitely know him well enough… to be able to tell me if you think… whatever happened between you two… would he tell me about it? If I made him or asked him to tell me about it… would it break Hiro-san?"

"…Sorry… you've grown closer to him than I have, and that's one thing I obviously know nothing about with regard to him… hell, I didn't even know it still bothered him so much."

"…What 'it?'" Nowaki sighed, heavily, shoulders slumping. "…No, you're absolutely right, Usami-sensei… I want to hear it straight from Hiro-san… if it hurts him, I'll just hold him… if he hits me, I'll just let him… and if he hates me… I will just love him so much it'll overcompensate for both of us!"

"How old are you?"

"Eh?" Nowaki looked up, blinking.

"…Twenty four, right?" Usami asked.

"…Yes…"

"Hm." Usami folded his hands in front of his mouth, staring thoughtfully at Kamijou's room.

"…Why?" Nowaki asked.

"Oh," Usami shrugged. "No reason… I just wanted to confirm it, since… you sometimes seem a bit older, and you sometimes seem a bit younger."

"…" Nowaki huffed. He didn't know what that was supposed to mean, exactly, but he felt like he was being made fun of. After a moment, he glanced at Usami again. "I've read all your books."

"I doubt you've read them ALL, I somehow can't see Hiroki permitting that."

"Well, I've read all the books you've written under your real name, anyway," Nowaki shrugged, and for a moment, Usami wondered if that meant he knew about the Junai novels or not.

"…So what did you think?" Usami asked.

"…I thought they were-"

"Bathetic, right?"

The two turned, noticing Sumi Keiichi standing behind them, holding a bag.

"No, I mean, I like sentimental-" Nowaki started as he stood, but Usami simply huffed, also standing.

"What're YOU doing here?" He demanded, stepping behind Nowaki, who blinked, confused.

"Believe it or not, I had no idea you'd be here, Usami-sensei." Sumi smirked that typical playful smirk of his. "To be honest, I came to check on my professor, I'd heard he was here… is Misaki also here? Why are you here?"

"Your professor is my childhood friend." Usami explained.

"Ah, well I came to check on Kamijou-sensei… and bring this… I thought it might help to determine something." He opened the bag for them to see, and the contents were the bloody suit case of which Usami had spoken.

"So it's true." Nowaki took the bag, bowing his head, politely. "Thank you very much, I want to analyze it quickly, if you don't mind."

"Sorry, but who exactly are you? Aren't you a doctor?" Sumi asked.

"I am a medical student, my name is Kusama Nowaki, it's a pleasure to meet you… you're Sumi Keiichi, right?"

"How do you know that?" Sumi asked, glancing at Usami, who turned to look at Kamijou's room, pretending to be too distracted with the situation to even acknowledge Sumi's existence.

"Usami-sensei was told by Takahashi-kun that you helped Hiro-san, is that true?"

"He almost got hit by a car. Normally, I don't think he'd be so air-headed, but he seemed really disoriented… to be honest, I think he was sick by the time I saw him."

"Thank you very, very much." Nowaki bowed, politely. "Words can't express how dear Hiro-san is to me, and you may have saved his life."

"Please don't thank me," Sumi raised his hands, defensively, "You see, I knew he was hurt, but I didn't do anything but gawk… I mean, in my defense, I was a little drunk… but… I think I still had my wits about me; I definitely should have followed him home or walked him to the hospital- ah! You must be the doctor he said he lived with! Oh…" He blinked, suddenly realizing what Nowaki had said about how dear Kamijou was to him and the fact that they lived together could only really mean one thing…

"…Wow, is anyone in this world straight?" Sumi stroked his chin, thoughtfully.

Nowaki rose, and took Sumi's hands in his, suddenly, making the other man's brow quirk with curiosity.

"Like I said, I'm in your debt… if there's anything you need, a physical, or a-"

"You don't deal with psychological issues, do you?" Usami muttered, bored, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Usami-sensei is so cruel." Sumi teased with a smirk, shaking Nowaki's hands, awkwardly. "Like I said… Kusama-sensei, I really felt terrible after seeing him like that… when he didn't show up for class, I got worried, so I checked with the dean, and he told me he'd passed out at lunch. I followed up with the dean after explaining the situation and finally found out he was being kept here… at the time, there were some papers and stuff tucked in his bag- err… including a paper I'd written, actually, but I wasn't able to find out where he lived using any of the papers, they'd all been too drenched…"

"It wasn't the gash on his leg that brought him here, if it makes you feel any better." Usami sighed, turning to Sumi at last. "So it had nothing to do with you. It wasn't the cold, either. For those things, he could have simply been given antibiotics or something, I'm sure… he had appendicitis before that incident, so don't berate yourself… for that, anyway."

"Appendicitis?" Sumi frowned. "So it had nothing to do with any of that?"

"No, but you still saved Hiro-san from being hit by that car. If he had appendicitis and was hit by the car, he surely would have…" Nowaki couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. "Therefore, thank you VERY much!"

Usami sighed, annoyed, glowering at the clock and willing it to hurry up and hit twelve.

-..- . -..-

"Okay…" Miyagi handed the fifth bag to a grabby Shinobu. "…How did it end up like this?" He took the sixth and paid.

Misaki laughed, nervously. "Well, we probably should have asked for specifics, but I think the more the merrier!"

"You're not paying for it." Miyagi huffed and Misaki laughed again.

"I'll pay for my part!" He offered.

"Nope, I got this one." Shinobu raised his credit card.

"I already got it, but I like how you pulled it out after I already paid, you're getting better at that." Miyagi smirked at Shinobu, who grinned.

"…So you've noticed."

"Get a job, papa's boy." Miyagi huffed and Misaki laughed.

"So you two are pretty close? How long have you been seeing each other?" The brunette inquired.

Miyagi drove out of the drive through as he tucked his credit card into his wallet. "Mmm… a few months, I guess."

"Six months, two weeks, four days, seven hours, forty three minutes and nine seconds. Ten. Eleven." Shinobu leaned back in his seat, watching his watch.

"…Shinobu-chin… you have that memorized?" Miyagi's brow twitched as he stopped at a red light.

"No, my watch keeps track for me." Shinobu raised his arm, showing it off.

Misaki's jaw dropped. "Th-that's a little obsessive…"

"A little?" Miyagi grumbled.

"How about you and that weird-looking guy?" Shinobu asked and Misaki sat up, glaring.

"What do you mean weird-looking?!"

"He dresses funny…"

"…Well… h-he… well… yeah, he kind of wears that all the time…" Misaki scratched the back of his head. "…It's kind of dorky…"

"I understand. Miyagi does dorky things, too…"

"What dorky things?!" Miyagi huffed, annoyed.

"You will be sitting all by yourself and suddenly start knocking stuff over!"

"…That's… that's…"

"I can top that." Misaki raised his finger, pointedly. "Usagi-san doesn't even understand what elementary school students would about cooking, he's blown up more dishes than I can count by sticking them in the microwave, I have to write 'hot' on the ones that can be put inside."

"…Mmm… that'll be a hard one to top… ah! Miyagi sometimes says random things in English, thinking he sounds cool, but he actually sounds like a big dweeb."

"AH-!"

"Usagi-san has a lot of bizarre things in our home, we even keep marimo for pets."

"…Uah… Mi-Miyagi tucks his tie into his breast pocket when he cleans, he is an incredible dork."

"I AM SITTING RIGHT HERE!"

"Usagi-san has over a hundred bears, and they're all named Suzuki-san. He's trying to collect enough to where he has more Suzuki-san bears than Suzuki-san people."

"I fold." Shinobu shrugged, defeated, and Miyagi huffed.

"I think we must have a lot in common, Shinobu." Misaki smiled. "Except that… your seme seems to respect your feelings a lot more…"

"What's with the tension between your boyfriend and Kusama-san? Don't they like one another?" Shinobu inquired.

"Eh?" Misaki gawked, caught off guard by the sudden, blunt inquiry. "…Well, um…If Kusama-san is really Kamijou-sensei's lover, then… he probably found out about… err… I don't think it's the type of thing I should talk about with other people, umm… I don't know…"

"Ah yeah, your Usami-sensei was actually telling me about it before you two showed up." Miyagi lied. "Something about a fling and there being a lot of feelings dwelling on it this whole time…"

"AH! HE TOLD YOU?!" Misaki gawked. "How could Usagi-san-?!"

Shinobu bonked Misaki on the head with a sigh. "Takahashi, you just got duped, you know."

"Shinobu-chin, are you implying that your beloved You-ou-sama is a LIAR?!"

"I'm not implying anything, I'll say it directly: he just tricked you, Takahashi." Shinobu sighed, feeling pity for his naïve friend.

"Ah-! So Usagi-san didn't say anything?!"

"He didn't."

"Then how did you-?!"

"Don't let Miyagi fool you." Shinobu sighed. "He may LOOK like a total air-head, and SOUND like a total air-head… and ACT-"

"GET TO THE POINT." Miyagi snapped.

"…But he's actually sort of observant."

"Uh…" Misaki groaned, sinking down in his seat. How could he have fallen for such a trap?! He began to angst as the two squabbled over something trivial, like getting no sex or something…

"Don't fret, Takahashi-kun." Miyagi broke him out of his depressed state. "Kamijou-sensei and I aren't just co-workers, we're friends, if I didn't notice something was up, I wouldn't be a very good friend, would I?"

"You didn't notice he had appendicitis." Shinobu pointed out, and Miyagi reached down beside his chair, lifting a small lever and sliding his seat back, ramming into Shinobu's legs before fixing his seat.

"Take that."

"You squished my hamburger!"

"Anyway, don't worry, Takahashi-kun. Your lover and Kamijou are childhood friends, and last time I talked to Kamijou about him, well not last time, but the time before that, I asked what their relationship was." Miyagi turned back toward the hospital.

"Eh?" Misaki looked up, blinking. "What… did he say?"

"He said they were childhood friends! So I asked: 'Is he a homo like you?'"

Misaki gawked. 'What kind of person would just ask that?! Note to self, avoid Miyagi-sensei like the plague at school, he obviously has no sense of boundaries!!!'

"Of course we were alone at the time,"

'Aaah! He's also a mind-reader!'

"And he blushed deeply, as he usually does when I say the word 'homo,' and he stuttered: 'Yes, but that doesn't mean there was ever anything between us!' so of course I said: 'oooh, you were lovers!' and he said 'there's no way we were lovers!' and I said 'but you blushed!' and he said, 'That doesn't mean anything! I love Nowaki!' and then got sooo cute and madly stormed out of the office and… didn't… speak to me… for ten days…" He took on a more serious tone after that, suddenly recalling the brooding his assistant had done, and how traumatic it had been for him, (he'd had to do all of his own work with no help for ten whole days!)

"…You okay?" Misaki blinked.

"Err, yeah, but the point I'm trying to make-"

"You were trying to make a point? We both stopped listening and started eating." Shinobu was munching on a french fry.

"DON'T EAT IN MY CAR!" Miyagi wailed, furiously, running a red light.

"Oi, pay attention…" Misaki complained, nervously.

They arrived at the hospital a bit later, and Shinobu grabbed a couple of bags and hurried inside. There was a chilly wind in the air and he was in a hurry to get inside to the heat that awaited him as soon as he could.

Misaki grabbed some other bags as Miyagi lit up a cigarette, intent on putting it out before they got inside, and Misaki noticed it.

"…You smoke a lot, are you a chain smoker?"

"No, but when you're stressed out, you smoke more."

"You're stressed out? You mean over Kamijou-sensei? …Maybe that's why Usagi-san wants to smoke so bad… ah, but he promised-" Misaki frowned, sadly as he turned, but Miyagi caught his arm, tossed his cigarette, and stomped it out.

"Quick question… You don't have to tell me anything, just give me a straight True or False response."

"…" Misaki frowned. "Is this a literature quiz? I'm really not prepared…"

"That's not good, because you have a test tomorrow-"

"THERE'S A TEST TOMORROW?!"

"…Oops… well, there was gonna be a test, but Kamijou's sick, so I'll probably be the one to give it…"

"Okay, what's the question? I overheard another student saying your tests are easier than Kamijou's because the answer is almost always Matsuo Bashou!"

"…THAT'S NOT TRUE! WHO SAID THAT?!"

"…Another student…"

"…ANYWAY!!! This is a question about what's going on, now, not Matsuo-"

"We haven't gotten to modern literature, yet…" Misaki fiddled with his fingers, nervously.

"I mean what's going on between your lover and Kamijou."

"What do you mean?" Misaki blushed.

"Kamijou mentioned something when he was drunk one time, about Usami Akihiko, that I really didn't buy at the time, so really, I never thought about it again until today… it happened the day we all celebrated his becoming an associate professor, and I was dropping him off at his place, while we drank, he said that he had intentionally seduced this Usami guy… did you know anything about it?"

"…" Misaki frowned. "So you do know… and he admitted it…"

"…He said it with regret, too… because at the time, he was sputtering his love for that giant guy- of course he never said his name back then, he just kept saying 'that stupid idiot who abandoned me,' but now that I know a little more, I'm better able to connect the dots. So let me make sure I've got this straight. Your guy and Kamijou hooked up years ago, both regretted it, and finally discussed it on Friday, and from what I can tell from your behavior, you must have overheard, right? And Kamijou found out you heard about it, and thought he was over it, but is now dwelling on it? Does that sound right?"

Misaki nodded, frowning. "I guess… all I know is… Kamijou-sensei looked really sad when he thought about it…"

"…Hmm…" Miyagi nodded, taking in the new information before patting Misaki on the head.

"So YOU must be the student he kept grumbling about not wanting to have to face all day during school."

"Mmm…" Misaki's face went grim. "Probably…"

"When Kamijou's sick, it's kinda like when he's drunk in that his guard's down… you know, that night… he grumbled something about role playing gone horribly wrong as well as the seducing thing... But they were one incident, correct?"

"…That's pretty much what happened." Misaki frowned. "From what I was told, Kamijou-sensei was trying to play the role of the person Usagi-san loved at the time… it wasn't me, it was… my older brother…"

"…I see…" Miyagi frowned, sympathetically.

"…Miyagi-professor?" Misaki asked, suddenly.

"Hai?"

"…Please don't use that information for anything questionable… please understand that what happened between them… err… the realization… it really took a toll on me, and… whatever the reason Kamijou-sensei is in the hospital… he had been thinking about that incident right before he went and got sick, so… I'd say it's not the type of thing to joke about."

"ARE YOU GUYS COMING?!" Shinobu opened the door from the hospital, suddenly.

"We're coming!" Miyagi called as he and Misaki started making their way over. He glanced down at Misaki and ruffled his hair with a small smile. "Don't worry, Takahashi-kun. I may tease Kamijou about little trivial things to piss him off due to my own mean-streak, but I understand the severity of the situation. I won't use the information to hurt him anymore than he's already been hurt, I promise."

"Thank you."

"And don't beat yourself up about telling me. You only confirmed what I had already assumed to be true… I will use the information to make sure I don't absent-mindedly bring up anything at work that might upset Kamijou."

"Yes, thank you."

-..- . -..-

As the three were making their way toward the waiting area, Misaki noticed his upper classmate was standing among their friends, talking.

"Eh…?" Miyagi noticed him, too. "Isn't that the guy you were with the other day, Takahashi-kun?"

"Sumi-sempai!" Misaki called, hurrying toward him.

"More people… Kamijou-san actually has students who care about him… who'd have thought?" Shinobu asked, only to receive a gentle pinch in the arm. "Ow!"

"Why do you have to be such a brat today? Weren't you also starting to like Kamijou after Thursday?" Miyagi huffed.

"We have our own problems to worry about, is all… everyone's so sympathetic of Kamijou-san because he went and got himself sick, and you're more worried than you should be!"

"Actually, his being sick means more work for me, I'm worried just the right amount!"

"Don't try to brush it off on something like that! You're really worried about him, aren't you?" Shinobu huffed, jealously.

"…Kamijou is my friend."

"Risako was your wife; shouldn't we be more concerned about her? Or worse, what she might say?"

"Risako isn't in the hospital. Kamijou is… take a second and analyze this whole situation."

"…This situation?" Shinobu paused, thinking.

"…Well?"

"It was fate!"

"…What?" Miyagi stared at Shinobu, annoyed.

"…That we bought so much food. Since there're so many people."

"…" Miyagi shook his head, continuing onward. "If that's your way of finding a bright side to things, or whatever, you just keep thinking that."

"Sumi-sempai, what're you doing here?" Misaki asked, happy to see his senior.

"Ah, like I told you before, I was somewhat responsible for Kamijou-sensei's condition, so I thought I'd check and see how he's doing. The last thing I need on my conscious is this stress, in any case." Sumi shrugged, patting Misaki on the head. "And you?"

"…Kamijou-sensei is character C…" Misaki admitted with a soft sigh.

"Eh?" The other men stared, confused as to what kind of code the two were talking in, but Sumi seemed to understand right away.

"Oh, I see…" He nodded, glancing at Usami. "…Now I see why I don't have a chance with Usagi-sensei, he likes dark-haired men…" He then glanced at Nowaki. "Watch out."

"Eh?!" Nowaki stared, confused, and Usami growled, annoyed.

"So your conscience is cleared, get lost." He ordered.

"Ah, how cruel." Sumi smiled, turning to Misaki. "Did you finish that book I lent you?"

"Ah… not yet… sorry. All the commotion- do you need it back or something?" Misaki inquired.

"Well, it hasn't actually hit the shelves yet, but when I gave it to you, I hadn't realized it, and my father became upset when I told him about it- he asked me to ask for it back when I saw you next, but take your time. He doesn't have to know we met here… he had also asked me to inquire as to whether or not you liked it."

"Well, like I said, I'm not done, but so far, I've found it to be extremely sentimental and moving…" Misaki nodded. "I can totally relate with the youngest character, and it actually helped me to figure out a few things for myself about something… but yes, I think it's great!"

"Really? I thought it was trite, but then again, I'm a hard person to move." Sumi shrugged.

"Obviously." Usami muttered, sliding on his glasses.

"Ah- Usagi-san, you were hungry, we got plenty of food! Sumi-sempai, won't you join us?" Misaki asked.

"Is this some kind of celebration? I thought someone was in the hospital." Sumi chuckled.

"Yeah, but we're all excitedly waiting the chance to see Kamijou-sensei." Misaki informed him. "Did you hear? He had to go through surgery."

"They say the appendix isn't necessary anyway, seems like a detriment to me, they should remove them whenever you have to go to the doctor, I think." Sumi shrugged, taking a hamburger when Miyagi handed him one.

"Well, in the case of most surgeries, a lot of doctors will obtain the client's consent before the surgery, and if the patient agrees, they remove them while they're in there, so to speak." Nowaki mumbled, mechanically, struggling not to fall apart. The longer he spent away from his beloved, the more anxious he became.

"Kusama-san," Shinobu handed him a hamburger, "You should eat, too. Kamijou-sensei would want you to; besides, you can't take care of him when he gets out of this place if you're too weak, right?"

"Ah… thank you…" Nowaki took it with a frown. "I'll eat, I will… it's just right now… I don't know if I'd be able to keep it down… but I appreciate your kindness."

"Poor Kusama-san… if it were Miyagi in there, I'd be crying… you're surely crying on the inside…" Shinobu frowned, sitting next to Nowaki.

"Ha! Like hell I'd be stupid enough to end up like Kamijou! That guy needs to learn to take better care of himself." Miyagi huffed, folding his arms and sitting on the other side of Shinobu. "Stupid bastard. How does he go living with a med student and still not know a thing about taking care? That pride of his… it's more of a detriment to his health than that appendix, and this is exactly why."

"It's true what they say about most men," Nowaki shrugged. "They don't like to admit it when they're feeling weak… that's why men go to the hospital far less often than women do, and you're right, I should have paid better attention to Hi-"

"Hey hey hey, don't misinterpret." Miyagi huffed. "No one blames you, we blame Kamijou!"

"Yep." Shinobu affirmed.

"Same here." Usami muttered.

"Sure, if there's anyone in this world who can understand that fool, it's probably you, but he's pretty much the only person in the world who understands how he feels all the time, so it's his responsibility to make sure he takes care of his body. Right?" Shinobu asked.

"…I suppose…" Nowaki sighed. "I still feel responsible."

"That's due to Kusama-san's personality… I understand your feelings." Shinobu frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But Kusama-san, please realize that no one else blames you, and neither does Kamijou-sensei, I'm sure of it…"

"Yeah." Usami agreed, curtly. "I'm going to chew him out for letting himself get to this point."

"Aren't we also partially to blame?" Misaki frowned.

"How are _you_ to blame?" Shinobu huffed. "He's got no one to blame but his self, simple as that, anything that happened up to the point or during the point in which he let himself get sick may have influenced the choices he made, but in the end, he still made them!" Shinobu huffed.

"Takatsuki-kun," Nowaki began, but Miyagi cut him off.

"Seriously. Who walks around in the rain? He could have just as easily stopped for a cup of coffee somewhere, or gone to read some books." The professor agreed. "I'm going to chew him out, too."

"…" Sumi slurped at a soda, nervously. "…Wow… you guys are some friends…" He stood. "Um… I think I'm going to go get some flowers."

"Eh?" Everyone looked up at him, curiously.

"Yeah…" Sumi nodded, spacing out a little. "If I were to wake up in the hospital and all my friends were there… and they were gonna chew me out like you guys intend to… then I would definitely want to see some flowers…" He headed off and Misaki got up to follow him.

"You're right, sempai! Anyone who wakes up in the hospital should have flowers!"

"And a card!" Shinobu ran after them.

The three seme watched as two of their uke ran off and ditched them.

"…" Usami lit up a cigarette, now that Misaki was gone. "…So, you're Hiroki's boss, right?"

"Who, me? Yeah, I'm his boss." Miyagi handed Usami a hamburger and Usami stared at it. He now had three… but he didn't feel like eating.

Nowaki chuckled, suddenly, and the two turned to him.

"What's so funny?" Miyagi blinked.

"It's just that when people just meet, they usually give one another business cards… but in your case, it seems every time you talk to someone, you give them a hamburger."

"…Ah…?" Miyagi stared, blankly.

"I'm sorry." Nowaki smiled, sadly. "I guess I'm just trying to find humor in something… anything…"

"Humor?" The other two blinked.

"Yes, they say in extreme situations, you should attempt to distract yourself with humor so as to make light of the situation…" Even though he had conflicting feelings regarding this little theory, and no intention of making light of any situation which involved his beloved Hiro-san being hurt, or in any way inconvenienced, he felt the others might benefit from the advice.

"A joke…" Usami pondered.

"I have a ton, Kamijou always hits me for them, but if you think something like passing out hamburgers is funny, maybe you'll think my jokes are funny!" Miyagi suggested, raising a finger. "Okay, what did the elephant say to the naked man?"

"…?" Nowaki gave him a blank stare.

"How do you breathe through something so small?"

The two stared.

"…No? I've got a better one! Oh, I have a lot of doctor jokes! How about this one: A doctor receives a patient with a broken arm, the patient says: Doctor! I've broken my arm in two different places! The doctor replies: Don't go to those places anymore."

"…" More blank stares.

"How about this one? I told it to Kamijou when he came in coughing this morning, he said to me: Professor, what do you think I should do about this cough? I told him to take a laxative, then he'd be too afraid to cough."

Nowaki's eyes bulged and Usami busted up, laughing. He wondered how hard the brunette had hit his superior for that one. He'd also given the same advice last time Hiroki was sick… at least last time he'd seen him sick, which was when they were both much younger.

"Oh, I got a laugh! Here's another, but this is a dentist joke! As the dentist leans over to start working on this woman, she grabs him by the nuts! So the dentist says: Ma'am, you're clutching onto my privates! And the woman replies: So I am… Now then, let's do our best to be very careful not to hurt one another."

Usami busted up laughing and Nowaki cracked a small smile.

"I'm winning! Okay, one more-"

WACK!

Miyagi gawked as a hamburger hit him upside the back of the head.

"MIYAGI!" Shinobu was blushing, furiously. "YOU SWORE YOU WOULD NEVER TELL ANOTHER JOKE AGAIN!"

"Aww, Shinobu-chin, you're no fun, and you're such a prude, it's just adults telling adult jokes." Miyagi huffed.

"They'd be funny if they were adult jokes, your jokes are just stupid and horrible and everyone's heard them a million times, besides, you shouldn't try to make people laugh when Kamijou-sensei is sick! That's mean! How would you like it if I told jokes while you were-"

"OOOH, pretty flowers, Takahashi-kun!" Miyagi passed a silently livid Shinobu, ignoring him completely in favor of inspecting the lovely flowers in Misaki's hold.

"They're a mess." Usami hurriedly snubbed out his cigarette before Misaki could see.

"Well, I just bought as many pretty ones as I could, but… flowers are flowers, right?" Misaki asked, pathetically.

"I tried arranging them, but apparently I lack the flower-arrangers-homo-gene or something." Shinobu sighed.

"And I'm allergic." Sumi lied, not wanting to touch them or carry them, or have any witnesses to the fact that he had helped to purchase them for the demonic teacher they had been bought for.

"Let me." Nowaki took the flowers and within seconds, he had made a beautiful arrangement, tying it with a ribbon Misaki had brought along.

Misaki stared at him, suddenly, getting an odd case of déjà vu. "Ah-! Ano… Kusama-sensei?"

"Hm?" Nowaki blinked down at him.

"Please forgive me if I'm wrong, but… did you ever work at a local floral shop?"

"…Yes, I work there part time." Nowaki admitted.

"I never realized it before, but… I've actually bought some flowers from you a couple of times before." Misaki admitted. "Now I remember."

"Ah… I think I saw you once on the subway, as well…" Nowaki nodded.

Misaki gasped. "That's right! Usagi-san, this is the guy I was telling you about, with the perfect male physique!"

Nowaki's face reddened at the compliment and Shinobu giggled madly at his expense.

"Ah… what a small world." Usami nodded, staring off into space, as he usually did when a conversation bored him.

"Now that I think about it, I think I've also seen Shinobu attending a local high school that Sumi-sempai and I used to pass occasionally after our classes… he wore a uniform and looked like he went to a fancy high school or something."

"Yeah, I did." Shinobu huffed. "I'm pretty much done with high school, though, you can consider me a university man, now."

"A university man, huh?" Sumi checked his watch. "Well, unfortunately, I've got to be going… I chipped in for the flowers, as did these two, but there's no way I'm going to take credit for them, he'd think we're sucking up."

"That's true…" Misaki nodded.

"What about the card you guys got?" Miyagi blinked.

"We all signed it anonymous." The three replied and the others stared at them, stupefied.

"Please also sign it." Sumi handed the card to Nowaki. "Oh, and… you might be able to use that as an excuse to sneak into the room. I overheard that shark fellow saying something about Kamijou still being out and having to postpone visits for another hour."

"He did?" Nowaki looked around for his sempai, sadly, but Sumi stole his attention away, again.

"Yes, but you probably won't find him. He felt really bad and was trying to talk some nurses into telling you for him, but they were complaining that if you were here, you should be working, too."

"Those gossips." Misaki frowned. "Don't they understand your roommate is hurt?"

"I don't think they cared…" Sumi shrugged. "Anyway, I have another paper to write. Best of luck, and please, Misaki, if you stay and find out his condition, don't hesitate to text me with an update."

"Thanks for everything, Sempai." Misaki nodded.

"Good night." Sumi ruffled his hair and leaned down to whisper into Misaki's ear. "Oh, and with character E here, you probably shouldn't worry so much about characters B and C." He winked and headed off, ignoring the feeling of a certain novelist's eyes glowering into his back.

"Ah…" Misaki blushed, lightly. "Sempai, I brought the book with me, conveniently, enough, so while I'm waiting over night, I'll be sure to finish it!"

Sumi simply waved his arm in response as he continued walking away.

"Ah, and sempai!" Misaki called, and Sumi stopped, glancing over his shoulder.

"STUDY HARD IN CASE WE JUST SO HAPPEN TO HAVE A TEST IN LITERATURE TOMORROW!!!" Misaki called, and Miyagi gawked up at him.

"Hey-!"

Sumi blinked, then hurried off to study.

"College men are certainly attractive, aren't they?" Shinobu asked, arms folded.

Miyagi glared at him. "Really? I think they're all brats who are too big of wimps to sign a card to a teacher," He took the card from Nowaki and pulled out a big pink marker, "if my students didn't sign a get well card for me, I'd be so heartbroken!"

"I thought you said you'd never be stupid enough to end up here." Shinobu countered, annoyed.

"…Touché."

"What're you writing in that awful color?" Shinobu snapped. "Don't draw hearts, you bastard!"

"NEXT." Nowaki snatched the card and handed it to Usami. Usami pulled a pen out of his pocket and also signed it.

"You two can go ahead and go home as well." Usami told the two as he finished, handing the card back to Nowaki, who opened it and read its contents.

"No way in hell. I'm not leaving until I'm sure Kamijou is going to be alright." Miyagi snapped, voice and face going stern and serious.

Nowaki and Usami blinked at the sudden change in persona. It was hard to believe that this man was the same man telling those obnoxiously retarded jokes only a few minutes ago.

"You're a good boss… I hope if I ever get a job, my boss is as kind and considerate as you." Misaki smiled.

"Agh-" And just like that, the stern expression was gone, and Miyagi's eyes sparkled down at Misaki. "What a wonderful student! Kamijou is so lucky to have you in his class!"

"Then why does he pelt me with things?"

"Ah, that's how Hiro-san shows he loves you." Nowaki smiled, and the others shook their heads, negatively, all spontaneously snapping:

"No it isn't."

"Well, I like to think it is, anyway…" Nowaki rubbed the back of his head, laughing, softly. "I'll go ahead and put these in Hiro-san's room… that way he can see them when he wakes up…"

Nowaki stood and glanced both ways, before hurrying across the hall toward the room.

"…So fess up." Usami glanced at Miyagi, who blinked. "You're the guy that almost kissed Hiroki, right?"

"EH?!!" Miyagi gawked, blushing brightly as Shinobu fumed. "Aha- ahaha—ahahahaha! I don't know what you're-"

"Hiroki gets real loose-lipped when he gets drunk, so he told me a while back while we were going over one of my novels, he said you tried to force yourself on him."

"Th-that was like a YEAR ago and ah- it didn't mean anything, trust me, I'm with Shinobu-chin, now!"

"Who-chin?"

"Shino- AAAAH!!!" Miyagi gawked at the form of his lover, storming off. He darted across the room, grabbed him and turned him, making him storm back toward them before sitting the boy down. "See, here, Shinobu-chin!"

"So," Shinobu ignored Miyagi, annoyed, "You're a novelist, right? Usami Akihiko, correct?"

"That's me. You a fan?"

"I've read some of your works, but only the ones with homosexual characters in them."

"Why's that?"

"Because if I'm not interested enough in it for it to consume the time I should be spending on homework or other leisurely activities, then why should I? You should spend your free time doing what you want, I think."

"I like you." Usami nodded.

"Thank you." Shinobu also nodded.

'Homework is considered a leisurely activity?' Misaki thought, eye twitching.

"Allow me to introduce you to your new favorite past time." Usami pulled a Junai Egoist book out of his vest pocket and Shinobu took it, interested.

Misaki's jaw dropped. "NO WAY IN HELL, YOU SONOVA-!"

Shinobu opened it to a random page and stared with a stoic expression. The others watched as his face remained the same, save for its color.

Miyagi snatched the book and flipped to a random page, eyes scanning over the words before he gawked. "Th-this is-!! This is-!!! Ka-Ka-Kami-"

"The work of a god, yes." Usami nodded, agreeing. (2).

"USAGI-SAN!" Misaki snatched the book, but Shinobu snatched it back.

"This was a gift, it's mine, now!" He stuffed it into his backpack and Miyagi and Misaki both gaped at him.

"You WANT that awful-!" Misaki began, but Shinobu looked up at him with one of his intense glares, interjecting:

"Are you, by chance, criticizing my tastes and questioning what I do in my free time?"

"Ah- ah- no…." Misaki shook his head, unable to form a coherent thought.

"Good. If I like it, I like it; it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"…Ah…" Misaki nodded, uncontrollably before sighing and sinking into his seat.

"And if you get bored of that couple, here is another." Usami handed Shinobu a copy of Junai Romantica and Misaki leapt for it, but Shinobu was ready and he tucked it quickly into his pack.

"YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON, OKAY?!" Misaki bellowed at Usami, who covered his mouth.

"Shhh, there are other patients who are trying to rest and get better."

"…" Misaki glared, mumbling something quietly, but it was muffled by Usami's hand, so he moved it.

"What was that?"

"I. Said… You. Smell. Of. Tobacco."

"…" Usami switched to covering his own mouth, a bored expression on his face.

Sighing, and seeing that everything had calmed down a tad as he looked around; Miyagi was grading papers, Shinobu was huddled on the furthest seat away from Misaki, reading the smut-novel, and Usami was sitting before him, just thinking, seemingly engaged in a deep span of introspection, Misaki sat, too, pulling out the book Sumi had given him. He stared at the words on the page, but he wasn't reading. His mind wandered, and he slowly found himself glancing at Kamijou's door. He hoped Nowaki was alright… Maybe Kamijou had woken? That would be nice…

-..- . -..-

Nowaki had already set the flowers in a vase and stood the card in front of the vase on the table beside Kamijou's bed.

He now had Kamijou's hand tucked warmly between both of his own. He stared down at his lover, hoping he would get better, praying that he would get better, trying to channel his own positive energies into Kamijou through his hands…

He wasn't sure if he believed such a thing was even possible, but when it came to Hiro-san, he would try anything if there was even a _chance _that it would make the other man happy, or healthy, or even just content…

"Hiro-san… can you hear me?" He whispered, sadly. "…You know, there are so many people here for you right now… your friend Akihiko is here, and a few of your students, though one left already… That weird Professor of yours and his boyfriend, too… why haven't you ever told me that both of those people are also…" He trailed off. "…Well… I figured with Usami-san… anyway… Hiro-san, it's alright if you don't tell me everything… it's alright if you don't tell me anything… just please… please get better…" He leaned down to peck Kamijou, when he heard a noise behind him.

His senior sighed, slowly closing the door behind himself.

"Nowaki," The blonde admonished, "You know you should be more careful. If it had been anyone other than me at that door, your job would have been in jeopardy…"

"…I can't control myself around Hiro-san." Nowaki frowned, rubbing Kamijou's hand with his thumb, gently. "I know… I'll leave in a moment… someone already told me it'll be another hour before we can come in, I… I just wanted to drop off those flowers over there."

"…You got him flowers? I can't imagine you leaving a certain radius…"

"I didn't get them… it was some of the people outside… they even got a card."

Tsumori smiled. "So people really seem to care about this guy…"

Nowaki smiled. "Of course! Hiro-san is- aah-!" Nowaki gawked as Tsumori also signed the card, smiling. Why hadn't Hiro-san's friggin' PARENTS shown up, or his friends? … Did he have friends? … Well, he hadn't really called anyone other than Hiro-san's parents, and even then, he was only able to leave a message…

"There! Get well soon." Tsumori signed the card 'Anonymous' and set it next to the flowers, smiling. "People really do like him, huh?"

"Hiro-san is very specia-"

"I know, I know, the galaxy revolves around this guy." Tsumori laughed, ushering Nowaki out of the room. "But for now, I have to follow strict orders and make sure I follow-up, so please wait patiently, I promise as soon as it's permissible, I will inform you and you can come in."

"Actually, Sempai… you've done enough already… please go home, I'm ready to start my shift…"

Tumori's head jerked up and his eyes widened. "What's that?"

"Hiro-san would want me to work… that's how he is… besides… I have friends outside who will alert me as soon as there is anything to alert me about…"

"…You know, I would have stayed longer anyway for this follow up."

"Then continue, then go home, and please leave Hiro-san in my care."

"Ah, the truth comes out… if you're on duty, you can come in here and leave as you please…" The blonde smirked. "Alright, give me about half an hour, okay?"

"Thank you."

-..- . -..-

"No, I know where you live." Miyagi nodded, taking the key Nowaki handed him.

"My work uniform and everything I'll need is in a carrying bag, it should all be prepared- oh, the carrying bag is black, and it should be right on the couch." Nowaki nodded.

"Sure. Be back in a flash!" Miyagi glanced from Nowaki, to Misaki, to Usami, who glanced up, making eye contact.

"Hmm… Shinobu-chin, come with me, so I won't be lonely!"

Shinobu looked up, annoyed. "But who will text you if there's a change?"

"Either way, we're coming back. We'll be fast, too, fifteen minutes tops in my car."

Shinobu sighed, closing the book and tucking it away. "Fine, we'll be right back, anyone need anything else while we're gone?"

"Thank you, but no." Usami replied.

Misaki shook his head, negatively, also needing nothing.

Shinobu hurriedly followed Miyagi, who had already headed toward the elevator.

"…Does he know something?" Nowaki turned to Usami with a frown.

"Mm-!!!" Misaki buried his face deeper in his book, immediately attracting the attention of the other two.

"Ah, so it was Misaki who blurted it out." Usami sighed.

"I didn't mean to!" Misaki pulled his book away, quickly. "He practically guessed on his own and tricked me into admitting it!"

"Admitting what, exactly?" Nowaki frowned.

Misaki gawked up at him, nervously. "Ah- ah- ah- I- I- um…" He glanced between both semes, nervously.

"I thought you said you wanted Hiroki to tell you?" Usami huffed.

"Yes, that's true…" Nowaki folded his arms, leaning against the wall, pouting.

"Ah… he doesn't know?" Misaki asked.

Usami shrugged, taking the book from Misaki and looking it over, pretending to be interested in it. "Who knows… it's hard to determine what he knows and what he doesn't… for all we know, he might know and be thinking it's something worse than it is, since he already knows."

"…What?" Misaki asked, confused.

"If anything actually happened between you and Hiro-san, Hiro-san never told me about it." Nowaki told the other two.

"Then you don't know." Usami stated, blankly.

"So something happened…" Nowaki whispered, eyes falling sadly to the floor. "Still, whatever happened, it happened in the past, right?"

"Obviously." Usami huffed. "Before he met you, actually."

"Then I don't understand why he would keep it from me." Nowaki frowned.

"…" Misaki thought about it. "…There are things from Usagi-san's past, too, that happened between him and other people. _That incident_, for example, which he never bothered to tell me… I know Kamijou-sensei definitely didn't keep it from you without reason, in fact… when he spoke about it on Friday, he seemed so miserable… I just know… I just know he probably didn't tell you… err… not because he didn't want you to know, but… but because it was surely too painful for him to talk about…"

"…" Nowaki frowned. "It shouldn't be painful to talk about unless the pain hasn't quite been buried in the past."

"…" Misaki frowned, feeling terrible and stupid for saying anything at all.

As if sensing his distress, Nowaki pulled away from the wall, headed over, and patted Misaki gently on the head. "Don't feel badly… I didn't mean to misinterpret what you said… and you're definitely right… I knew from the beginning that Hiro-san was in love with Usami-sensei… and I know he loves me very much, even more than he loved Usami-sensei. As we are now, I'm definitely the most important person to Hiro-san, but… I imagine that if you loved someone in the past,"

Usami's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to stop Nowaki from saying what he was about to say, but somehow, the words never came, or perhaps he just couldn't say it in time, because Nowaki finished his thought;

"you never really get over them completely…"

And it was too late… the damage had been done… Misaki's worst fears had been reaffirmed with those words, and the boy's gaze fell, momentarily, to the floor, before he raised his head again, smiling to mask his pain.

"B-but… no matter how you look at it… you know Kamijou-sensei loves you the most right now, right? Just like you said?"

"…Well… I want to think so." Nowaki admitted, smiling. "I guess I'll have to wait until I talk to him…"

Misaki nodded, sadly, sinking back down into his seat.

"I'm guessing that if those two, who have only known Hiro-san for a short time, are refusing to leave, then you, his childhood friend of many long years, will probably also share in their decision?" Nowaki turned to Usami, who nodded, annoyed with having to undo the unintentional damage that Nowaki had dealt.

"Yes," He replied, finally. "…I, too, want to make sure Hiroki will be alright… as for you, are you sure it's alright for you to work at a time like this?"

"Hiro-san would definitely tell me to. While waiting, I can't do anything but hope for Hiro-san and pray that he'll be alright… but I can do that while still helping others that I CAN do something for… so I'll go ahead and work…"

"…I can see why he likes you." Usami shrugged.

"And…" Misaki spoke up, frowning. "If anything happens with Kamijou-sensei and you aren't around, we'll definitely come find you."

"Thank you." Nowaki smiled.

-..- . -..-

"HE SAID IT WOULD BE ON THE COUCH! AAAH! I FEEL SO INCOMPETANT!!! AAAH! I'M SO STUPID!!! I CAN'T FIND IT!!!" Miyagi spazzed as he danced about the small living room, (and dancing was the best way to describe it, he was running about, lifting his long legs randomly trying to avoid knocking over mountains of books or colliding with random… books… or step on any… books, or… well, the whole place was pretty much all books, so he had to be very careful not to knock anything over.

"Is that it?" Shinobu, too afraid to step inside, stood in the doorway, pointing at a black carrying case that was hanging from a large entertainment center against a wall.

Miyagi looked over and struggled to swim his way through the books over to where Shinobu was, looking at where he was pointing.

His face lit up. "Hurrah! Shinobu-chin, you're so observant! Now go get it."

"I'm not going in there." Shinobu argued, folding his arms. "How did they manage to mess it up so bad since we came over?!"

"Ah… Kamijou is the type who will surround himself with a mountain of books to make himself feel better if he is feeling down, and even though he was sick all weekend, that's what I'm thinking this all is…" Miyagi had to get a running start before leaping over a random mountain of books, somehow making it to the other side, and he grabbed the pack, triumphantly before glaring up at the entertainment center. "Yeah, that looks like a couch."

Shinobu snickered, turning and hurrying out. "C'mon, we have to hurry!"

"Wait just a sec!" Miyagi huffed, heading into another room. Shinobu gawked.

"Kusama-san didn't give you permission to go rummaging through his apartment! He just asked you to get his stuff!"

"What about poor Kamijou?" Miyagi returned with a small grocery bag.

"What did you get?"

"No time to explain, c'mon, c'mon, what a nosy boy you are, trying to go through Devil Kamijou's things!" Miyagi pushed the boy out by the small of his back, shut off the light, locked the door, and hurried back toward the car with his young lover.

-..- . -..-

"JAA!" Miyagi raised the pack. "So, your couch seemed kind of uncomfortable."

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked, confused as he took the carrying bag.

"Well, I don't understand where you would sit… above the TV, or below the DVD player? To the left of the VCR, maybe?"

"…You're describing my entertainment cen- oh… sorry…" Nowaki bowed, politely. "I'm sorry, that's right, I hung it up because I didn't think I'd be needing it any time soon… I thought I'd refrain from going in on call since Hiro-san had been sick as of late…"

Miyagi instantly felt bad. "Ah… little did you know you'd end up…" He frowned, not needing to finish that thought. "Well, don't worry. If anything happens with Kamijou, we'll be sure to let you know right away!"

"Thank you…" Nowaki frowned. "But the thing is… these two have school tomorrow, right? And you have classes to teach… it's already almost one… are you guys-"

"Everything should be fine." Miyagi waved the matter away. "Hell, this hadn't come up, I'd still be awake, I'd probably be spending the night at the school."

"Then you're being kept from work?"

"Hahaha… no…" Miyagi laughed, annoyed. How was it that Nowaki turned everything into a matter of their being inconvenienced? Was he truly just a compassionate and overly concerned person, or was he just jealous?? "I was just going to get a head start since—" He paused. If he told Nowaki that he was going to get a head start in order to cover for Kamijou the following week, Nowaki would turn it into another reason for him to apologize. "…Because, um… I'm just a dedicated guy! Which is why I'm here! So you go ahead and make sure you do your best to help everyone while worrying about Kamijou, and I'll continue grading papers while continuing to worry about Kamijou, and as soon as he's up, I'll be sure to hurry off to find you myself, sound good?"

"…Thank you, Miyagi-Professor…" Nowaki smiled, and Miyagi felt like a douche bag for questioning his mannerisms and personality.

"Don't worry about it, with this much positive energy floating around, Kamijou will be sure to suck it all up and get better really soon!"

"You think so?"

"Yep!" Miyagi hurried into the room to deposit the grocery bag, but Tsumori followed, immediately, giving him a warning.

'Positive energies…?' Shinobu thought with a shake of his head. He glanced over at Misaki and Usami to see how they were holding up. Misaki looked to be pretending to be enthralled with his book, but was obviously mulling over something, and Usami, likewise, was pretending to be fascinated with the wall, but was obviously deeply troubled by something.

'Had Miyagi noticed something and dragged me off so they could work something out?' Shinobu thought, curiously, and headed over to Misaki, wondering if it had something to do with their conversation in the car, earlier.

"Takahashi?" He asked, sitting beside his new friend.

"Mm?" Misaki looked up.

"Uuuh…" Shinobu glanced at Usami, then back at Misaki. "…Do you want to walk around with me, a little?"

"Walk around?" Misaki blinked. "Is that allowed?"

"Ah… I don't know for sure…" Shinobu admitted. "It's just, there's something I kind of want to talk to you about."

"…" Misaki blushed furiously. "If this is about that trash Usagi-san gave you to read-"

"It's about literature."

"Eh?"

"You're a literature student, right? I'm studying literature on the side, while studying law… so I thought maybe I could ask you something about an assignment I have."

"Literature?" Miyagi practically sparkled as he hurried over to them. "Why don't you discuss it with me, Shinobu-chin?!"

"…It's something that only a student can explain to another student." Shinobu snapped.

"Eeeeh? I was also a literature student once…" The thirty five year old man pouted, in-turn humiliating his boyfriend.

"Actually," Usami stood, suddenly, grabbing Miyagi by the wrist and heading out. "We'll be right back, you two can stay here and discuss 'literature' to your heart's content."

The two uke watched as their respective seme headed outside.

"…What did you want to talk to me about?" Misaki inquired. "If you're concerned about adapting to your teacher's style, after the first two assignments, you should start to get a feel for what they're looking fo-"

"No, I already told you." Shinobu huffed. "I'm studying it on the side! … Besides, Miyagi is my teacher, and I already have a pretty good feel for him…" He blushed with a smirk.

Misaki's eye twitched as his cheeks flushed a crimson color. ". . . Don't let those smutty novels influence you… so what did you really want to talk to me about? The novel?"

"Well, I would like to know how true it is… somehow, I can't see a guy like you being quite as… submissive as the character your boyfriend based off of you… but that's not what I want to talk to you about… it's about this whole Kamijou and Usami thing… were they really lovers?"

"No, no way! Not lovers!" Misaki said, quickly, looking around to make sure Nowaki wasn't around before he leaned forward to whisper into Shinobu's ear. "No, but the thing is, they had sex, just one time, and they both regretted it!"

"…That's it?" Shinobu blinked.

"Uh… yeah…?"

"…That's what this whole angsty air of misery is all about?" Shinobu made a face. "That's so… so…" He didn't know how to explain it exactly.

"Well, Kamijou-sensei was in love with Usagi-san, and Usagi-san was in love with someone else, so Kamijou-sensei kind of got Usagi-san to sort of pretend that Kamijou-sensei was the person Usagi-san loved… hoping his feelings would reach Usagi-san… anyway, I don't know if I should be explaining all this to you…"

"Mmm…" Shinobu folded his arms with a saddened expression. "So Usagi-san loved someone else- was it you?"

"No, no this was over five years ago, more like six or seven or something, he… he actually loved my older brother."

Shinobu's eyes widened at this revelation. "…Your lover was once in love with your older sibling?"

"Yeah… Niichan didn't return his feelings, though…"

"…" Shinobu took a moment to register this information. 'Almost like my situation, except… the opposite, sort of… Miyagi _didn't _love Risako, obviously, he fell in love with me after she gave up on him… but what if it had been the other way around? What if Risako was the one who left him and he was still hung up on her? I felt bad enough that Miyagi was still in love with sensei, if it had been my sister instead, I'd be completely devastated every time her name came up or every time he spoke of her… poor Misaki…'

"…You're quiet… got out what you needed to get out? Take in what you needed to take in?" Misaki blinked.

"…I was just thinking… erm… and don't think I'm pitying you at all, but… your situation is kind of sad, too, isn't it?" Shinobu frowned.

"Eh?" Misaki blinked.

"…Well, your lover was once in love with your brother… not to mention, he had a fling with your teacher… I feel bad enough when I walk in on Miyagi being touchy-feely with Kamijou-sensei, even though I know it's just his personality, and I get really upset when I remember that he was once passionately in love with someone who wasn't me… and Miyagi had actually been married to my sister for a short time, too… so… so I can sort of understand that you must feel a little sad… about the whole… thing between your lover and brother… and your lover and Kamijou-sensei…"

Misaki smiled, nervously. "Wh-what're you talking about?! You don't need to feel sad for me, I'm fine! I-it's Kamijou-sensei we should be wo-"

"So you do feel saddened by it…" Shinobu took Misaki's stammering, stuttering, incoherent babble as confirmation.

"…" Misaki frowned, looking away. "…It's not… I mean…"

"Takahashi?" Shinobu turned to him with a very serious expression. "…Have you already talked to Usami-sensei about how you feel?"

Misaki frowned, nodding. "Yes…"

"And how do you feel?"

"…I… told him… I know he loves me… but then… Kamijou-sensei's boyfriend, err, Kusama-sensei… he told me… that if you loved someone in the past, you never really stop loving them…"

"…Kusama-san has never been in love with anyone but Kamijou-sensei, from what I gather." Shinobu folded his arms. "So of course he'd think that, because he thinks his love for Kamijou-sensei will never die, ever. However, it sounds to me like your 'Usagi-san' loved someone who didn't love him back, and then he loved you right after."

"…Yeah… he told me he loves me in a different way… and that he loves me the most right now…"

"Then quit doubting him, already… because your doubt will only hurt him further." Shinobu huffed.

"…Shinobu…?"

"It's true." Shinobu stated. "…Miyagi once loved someone with all his heart. She died, you know, leaving him alone… and after fifteen long years, he still loved her with all his heart, thinking he didn't have room in his heart for anyone… but then he confessed to me…"

"…Yeah?" Misaki smiled, lightly.

"…Yeah." Shinobu snapped. "Right in front of her grave."

Misaki's eyes widened in shock.

"…He swore that day to leave the past in the past. Yes; he loved her, and yes; it was real, and maybe it'll never really die completely… but when we're together… I can feel it, you know? I can feel that he loves me one hundred percent."

"…Shinobu…" Misaki blinked before smiling.

"And I love him back just as much- hell, maybe more…" Shinobu blushed. "…You?"

"I… Usagi-san… he loves me… and… and I love Usagi-san so…"

After confessing his undying love, Misaki melted into a glob of goo, humiliated beyond all reasoning, as he did almost every time he admitted his feelings regarding his novelist lover.

Shinobu ignored his argillaceous friend and looked over at Kamijou's room when he heard a noise coming from within. He had thought that blonde doctor who had kept badgering his boyfriend had already gone home, so perhaps Nowaki was sneaking inside…?

-..- . -..-

"Is THIS why you dragged me out here?" Miyagi's eye twitched and he folded his arms as Usami lit up a smoke.

"You smoke, too." Usami instructed, handing him a cigarette.

"…Yeah… I guess we could both use it." Miyagi took it and lit up. He took a long drag and exhaled, shivering from the chilly wind that suddenly breezed by.

Usami shivered a little, too. "…We never got to finish our little chat, earlier."

"Heh, you questioning me about a kiss when I've got nothing on your little role-play game?" Miyagi asked, checking his watch.

Usami glared, the cigarette dropping from between his teeth. "…How much do you know?"

"Like you said, Hiroki gets loose-lipped when he gets drunk." Miyagi mumbled, absently.

"I find it hard to believe that he'd drink around you. Misaki told you, didn't he?"

"Both, actually… I took Kamijou out with some of the other professors for a drink when he became an associate professor, then I dropped him off at his apartment, and we talked a little bit… by the time he told me, he was totally smashed… that's how I knew Kamijou was a homo from the very beginning, but I didn't find out about Nowaki- err… Kusama-kun until he had returned…"

"…I see…" Usami muttered, stepping on his cigarette. "…As for Misaki, how did you get him to tell you?"

"He didn't really… more like I tricked him by saying I already knew what was up, and his face confirmed the rest."

"You manipulated Misaki?"

"No." Miyagi exhaled a final time before dropping his cigarette, then stomping it out and looking up at the hospital. He smirked when his eyes fell on two heads looking through a window, one was a curious Shinobu, the other a glowering Misaki. "…Well, I guess I did."

"…You shouldn't toy with Misaki." Usami snapped. "He's the type who feels very bad about things that are barely his fault, or even things that aren't his fault at all."

"Are you not supposed to be smoking?" Miyagi asked, pointing up.

Usami looked up at sighed. "…Damnit…"

Miyagi snickered as he headed back inside. "If that's all you wanted…"

"It's not. I still wanted to know about your relationship with Hiroki. If you're here for the wrong reasons-"

"Ah, we have a give and take relationship. I give him a lot of crap, and he takes it. The one I love is that cute boy up there."

"You love Misaki?" Usami huffed, refusing to acknowledge the existence of any cute boys other than Misaki. "By the way, the age difference between you and that boy- how many years is it?"

"Err… seventeen…" Miyagi's eye twitched as he got on an elevator and Usami started writing on a notepad.

"And what're the kanji used to spell his name?"

"Well, the 'Nin' from ninja- wait… what're you doing?" Miyagi asked as the doors closed.

-..- . -..-

Kamijou grumbled softly as he came to. He felt really weird… like he was on drugs or something… His droopy eyes scanned over the ceiling above him… it was perfectly white… as were the walls, he noticed, as he looked around. He sat up, painfully… or, rather… he knew his body was in pain, because movement was a struggle, but he couldn't really feel it…

He glanced around the room… what was he doing in a hospital?

Hospital… hospital… Nowaki worked at a hospital…

Wait… Hospital… Nowaki…?

Suddenly, a feeling of dread washed over him.

"Nowaki! Something must have happened to him!" He threw the covers off of his own hospital bed, somehow not realizing it was his own in his disoriented state of mind, and he took a step, crumpling to the floor like an old rag doll.

He passed out again, but only for a moment before slowly dragging himself to the nearest wall and using it for support. He staggered to the door, falling against the doorframe before looking around outside. Across the hall was a waiting room, and the images he saw as he looked about began to double as his vision went hazy every few moments. He shut his eyes and shook his head before looking around, and stumbling down the hall in search of his lover.

-..- . -..-

"I can't believe he's smoking again!" Misaki snapped as he glared out the window until both men were out of sight, obviously returning to the hospital.

"Miyagi won't stop, either… I keep hiding his cigarettes, and he keeps pretending like I'm not, except this one time he blew up at me."

"Really? Was it bad?" Misaki asked, bored.

"Not really… He just said: DAMNIT! I KNOW IT'S BEEN YOU DOING THIS, SOMEONE LIKE YOU DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!"

"…Then what? He seems like the type who would immediately apologize."

"It coulda gone either way, so I figured if I pretended to be deeply hurt, it might help."

"You pretended to cry?"

"…Maybe."

Misaki laughed, softly. "I've tried that once or twice…"

"He didn't buy it?"

"I could never go through with it." Misaki's head bowed in shame. "So… what happened?"

"He felt really bad and we had kick-ass make up sex!" Shinobu grinned, eyes closed as the memories ran through his mind.

Misaki gaped at his friend, eye twitching. "Errm… you can admit it so nonchalantly… have you… always liked men?"

"Not really." Shinobu blinked out of his happy moment, turning to Misaki. "Actually, I fell in love with Miyagi when I was fifteen years old. Before that, I was pretty much just absorbed with my own self…"

"…Hah… I'm the same way… I never liked men until I met Usagi-san… so are we… still…?"

"Gay?" Shinobu shrugged. "I dunno… after being with Miyagi, I never want to be with anyone else, but I find myself appreciating the bodies of other men, sometimes, like Kusama-san for example."

"Yeah… Kusama-san has a pretty great body…" Misaki admitted, blushing lightly.

"He's so tall…"

"And handsome…"

"He's got a great physique…"

"His arms are strong…"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" Shinobu gawked.

"On the subway one time, I fell over because of a bump, and he caught me."

"…LUCKY!!!"

"…" Misaki's eyes narrowed. "…What happened to only loving that friendly Professor?"

"Ah-! I do only love Miyagi!" Shinobu huffed, turning instantly away.

"Hmmm…" Misaki turned, heading back for the seats. "You know, there's this thing called the electronic cigarette… it looks just like a cigarette, and it has nicotine, but it doesn't harm your lungs, and you don't blow out smoke, you blow out vapor, so you can even smoke it on airplanes…" (3)

"Really?!" Shinobu exclaimed. "That sounds great!"

"When I tried to tell Usagi-san… he patronized me and acted like I was making stuff up."

"It sounds too good to be true…" Shinobu stared, folding his arms. "…Still, if you could smoke without the cons of smoking, a lot more people would probably do it, don't you think?"

"Why?" Misaki asked.

"Because smoking is sexy."

"…I don't think so." Misaki huffed. "I wonder what kissing Usagi-san without it tasting a little like tobacco would be like…"

Shinobu blushed like a young girl. "I love Miyagi's cigarette-tasting kisses…"

"I mean… Usagi-san's kisses are okay…" Misaki blushed, fervently, clinging to his pant legs as he sat beside his new-found fellow uke friend. "…Even though sometimes, I wish he wouldn't…"

"You're a whiner." Shinobu huffed. "I wish Miyagi would kiss me forcefully, without me having to instigate it…"

"I wish Usagi-san would let up." Misaki huffed. "You only think that because you don't have your own personal molester."

"Hmpf!" Shinobu pulled out his Junai Romantica book and Misaki gawked.

"PLEASE STOP READING THAT! IT'S EMBARRASSING!"

"It's not." Shinobu huffed. "I need to learn what seme like… I'm a little new to the whole sex thing."

"Me, too, but trust me, you won't learn from those smut novels!"

"I've already learned a lot!"

"If you do the things in those novels, Miyagi-Professor will think you are a whore!"

"All men want their lovers to be whores in bed."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is." Miyagi and Usami returned, approaching the two boys.

"I'm not kissing you for three days, Usagi-san!" Misaki snapped, folding his arms. "Smoking like that, how could you?!"

"I'm worried about my friend, alright! Get over it." Usami snapped, and Misaki flinched at the sudden snappy tone in his lover's voice, arms unfolding, nervously.

Usami huffed, sitting next to him and tossing his leg over Misaki's lap, bored. "I wish he'd hurry and wake up! So I can send him to the morgue."

"I heard a noise in there a bit ago, but the doctor still hasn't come out." Shinobu stared, pawing at Miyagi, who struggled to keep him away. They were in public, after all, and technically, Shinobu could still be considered a minor.

"A noise?" Usami asked.

"Yeah… I think the doctor went in there." Shinobu replied.

"That doctor?" Miyagi pointed to Tsumori, who was talking to a nurse about something.

"…"

While the blonde was distracted, the four hurried into the room to find Kamijou's bed empty.

"Hey, I know you guys think I'm blind, but…" Tsumori hurried in after them, only to gawk at the empty bed.

"Bathroom?" Miyagi hurried to the bathroom, checking inside. "No…"

"It's my fault…" Shinobu pouted. "I heard a noise and assumed it was the doctor…"

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap… where the hell would he have gone?!" Tsumori panicked, nervously, clinging to his clip board. "O-okay, here're some special badges, you guys help me look for him!" He handed out some badges. "It'll be best if we split up, you stay here in case he comes back!" He pointed at Misaki, since he only had three spare badges.

"Ah- okay…" Misaki nodded, nervously.

The others hurried out and Misaki dropped to his knees, sinking to the floor to check under the bed. Pouting when he saw only a small grocery bag, he slowly raised, feeling the bed. It was still warm, so the man couldn't have gotten too far, right?!

-..- . -..-

"Hiroki…" Usami called, softly as he hurried down a hall, ignoring a nurse who told him to slow down a little. "Hiroki…"

He froze when he saw Kamijou leaning against the wall inside an elevator, but the doors closed. "HIROKI!!" He ran toward it, banging his fist against it before looking at the arrow, which indicated he had gone up. He ran for the stairs.

His heart rate increased as he skipped every couple steps, hurrying to the next floor and waiting to see if that elevator stopped, but it didn't, so he hurried back into the stairwell and continued heading up.

He was getting sick of his recent bad luck. First that stupid novel got deleted, (though most of it had been saved, thanks to Misaki), then Kamijou's cameo appearance on Friday which had completely shaken up his relationship with Misaki, not only that, but he had so many mixed feelings going through him, it wasn't even funny. Concern, of course, was the dominating feeling, but after that, it was certainly fear, stress, anger, shame, fury, embarrassment, depression, pity, sympathy…

Why hadn't he ever noticed, damnit?

How much did Kamijou care about him to have run off during a freakin' storm and gotten himself injured and sick?!

He growled as he shoved open the doors to check on the next floor, but the elevator still hadn't stopped. He smashed his fist against the rail after returning back to the stairwell.

"FUCK!"

And he continued on upward.

-..- . -..-

"Kamijou? Kamijou! Hiroki?! Hiroki!! Kamijou…?" Miyagi turned his head from left to right to left to right as he passed each room, trying to peek inside darker lit rooms with doors that were closed before he backed against a wall, grimacing when some nurses and a doctor pushed a cart with a man's bloody body past him. The man was moaning in agony.

"…Err… Ka-Kamijou!!!" He continued down the hall, peeking into a room and gawking when he saw Nowaki, whose face paled.

"Is Hiro-san missing?!" He whispered, holding the hand of a young girl, who was sleeping, soundly, a small smile on her face.

Miyagi nodded, nervously, and Nowaki looked down, relieved that he had finally gotten the girl to sleep, and he gently set her hand over her stomach, hurrying out with Miyagi.

-..- . -..-

"Why would he even leave?!" Shinobu muttered, annoyed as he hurried toward an elevator. He had to search another floor. He wasn't even sure if he should go up or down.

An elevator behind him dinged and he turned, only to gawk as Kamijou stumbled out, leaning against the wall for support and panting.

'It's fate!' His face lit up with excitement until Kamijou's legs gave out and he fell forward. Gasping, Shinobu hurried toward him.

"Kamijou-sensei!" he called, catching him before he could pass out or hit the floor. "What're you-?!"

"Eh?" Kamijou looked up, tiredly. "You? What're you doing here?"

"We're all looking for you!" Shinobu snapped, annoyed, and Kamijou gripped at his shirt, fearfully.

"Is Nowaki alright?!"

"…Hah??"

Usami burst through the stairwell doors, panting. "Hiroki!"

"…" Kamijou glanced over his shoulder, blinking innocently. "…Akihiko?"

"…BAKA YARO!!!" Usami bellowed, furiously, materializing at Shinobu's side and helping the boy to support the idiot brunette.

"Nowaki… how is he?" Kamijou asked, tiredly, before passing out. Shinobu caught him, nervously.

"Oi, oi!" he gasped, carefully laying him down and pulling off his jacket, propping up Kamijou's head.

"What's going on over there?" A nurse asked as she entered the elevator room.

"Can you get a stretcher or something? He's a post-op patient." Usami informed her. "He just had his appendix removed."

"Oh my God," She gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "What is he doing up here?!"

"He's an idiot." The two replied.

Suddenly an announcement sounded from overhead, and the three looked up to the sound of Tsumori's voice: "Kamijou Hiroki, if you are still in the vicinity, please report back to your room, number 113F on the eleventh floor. Again, Kamijou Hiroki, please report back to room 113F on the eleventh floor. Thank you."

-..- . -..-

"Hiro-san?!" Nowaki hurried into 113F, only to find Misaki sitting quietly in the chair beside the bed.

Upon the blue-haired man's arrival, Misaki looked up with a small frown, and he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Kusama-san… Shinobu and I were waiting outside, but we got distracted… we should have been paying more-"

"Found him." Usami snapped as the stretcher wheeled Kamijou inside.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki cried as he pivoted, taking Kamijou's hand in his. Kamijou's eyes slowly opened, and he let out a soft sigh.

"…Nowaki… you're alright…" He mumbled, "I'm so glad… why are you here?"

"Hiro-san, you're the one who was brought here because you're hurt…" Nowaki told him, helping the nurse to move the brunette to the bed. "Thank you, Suzuki-san." He thanked the woman, and Usami glanced at her. She looked NOTHING like Suzuki-san!

She bowed before hurrying out.

"Mm… you said I'm hurt?" Kamijou mumbled, trying to sit up, but Nowaki pushed back on his chest, gently.

"Stay in this position, Hiro-san… you just finished with a surgery a couple of hours ago…"

"Surgery?!" Kamijou's eyes widened.

"You know that pain in your stomach?" Miyagi reminded him. "Turns out you had appendicitis! They had to remove your appendix."

"…My appendix?" Kamijou mumbled, tiredly, looking around at all of the faces in the room… well, not 'looking around' so much as turning his head as much as he could and letting it sink to one side, then repeating the motion to check out his other side. "…Why are so many people here? Wha… Nowaki… Akihiko… Takahashi-kun… Professor… mm…"

Shinobu glared.

"…Takatsuki-kun…" Kamijou knew the dean's surame, at least. Shinobu huffed.

"We were all worried about you." Misaki admitted. "How do you feel?"

"...What happened? Why am I here? The last thing I remember…" He thought about it. "…The last thing I remember is…"

"…" They all waited patiently and Nowaki ran a hand through his lover's bangs, pushing them aside and out of his lover's face.

"…Mm…" Kamijou thought about it. "I was at work…"

"Yes, at the school." Miyagi replied. "The chairman found you unconscious in the office…"

"…Oh… that's right, I was going to eat that soup Nowaki had brought me, and I thought it smelled really good… then… I woke up… oh… I think I was at the apartment for a sec, maybe… I was asked something important, but I can't… remember… ah- then, there was a person putting a mask on my face… and that person was that evil blonde-haired guy!" He sat up, shocked. "WHAT DID HE DO?!"

"…He helped to remove your appendix." 'That evil blonde-haired guy' snapped as he entered. "Did he hear the announcement?"

"Not before he passed out. We found him, though." Usami replied, handing over the badge that had been given to him.

"Ah, here." Shinobu handed his over, too, as did Miyagi.

"So… that's why there's a dull pain in my stomach?" Kamijou asked. "So they took out my… appendix…? Did they have to?"

"Well, they didn't HAVE to… technically, they could have just let you die." Usami told him.

"Oh… then I guess it's a good thing they did…" Kamijou rubbed his eye, tiredly.

"There's also an infected gash on your shin, but there's ointment and bandages on it. It should be good as new in a few weeks, if you take the medicine we prescribe you… then there's the pneumonia, we've given you some penicillin and we're going to make sure we pump you full of anything and everything possible to keep you from dying… you're so sick with so many ailments we have to be careful not to give you all of your medicine at once, so there're certain things we need to still give you, even tonight… and we'll need to monitor you closely for the next couple of days-"

"A couple of days? No way!" Kamijou snapped. "I have lots of work to do, a test to give tomorrow-"

"Consider it covered, and for ONCE, focus on your damn health, Kamijou." Miyagi snapped. "I'm warning you, if you don't start taking better care of yourself, I will purposefully permit each of your students to pass tomorrow's test."

"NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

Misaki's jaw dropped at his professor's dedication to making each of his students as miserable as possible.

"DOCTOR'S ORDERS." Nowaki snapped, annoyed. "Hiro-san, you absolutely will stay here for the next two days. If you're feeling better by then, I'll take you home."

"Only one patient can stay overnight, I'm afraid." Tsumori spoke up, suddenly.

"…" Misaki frowned. "Kusama-san, you're a doctor, right?"

"I work here, if that's what you're implying." Nowaki replied. "And so long as I remain on the clock, I can come in here as I please, so that leaves a slot open for one of you if you so desire."

"Well, that goes to Usami-san, then, I suppose." Miyagi spoke up. "Because this one has a test tomorrow, he wouldn't miss it for the world," He poked Misaki in the back of the head, "and this one has school as well. Me, I have a test to give! But wait! Staying all alone by yourself after such a disheartening event would be so painful- I know! Takahashi-kun, why don't you come home with Shinobu-chin and me?!"

Misaki's eyes widened. "Ah- really? Are you sure that's alright?!"

"If you could do that," Usami muttered as he continued staring at Kamijou's tired face, "I would be in your debt. Misaki, is that alright with you? So you don't have to stay at home alone?"

Misaki glanced at his lover, then at Kamijou, before blinking as Shinobu nudged his foot with his own. He looked at Shinobu, who smiled, kindly, and Misaki slowly smiled, too.

"That'd be great… it's also great of you to stay by Kamijou-sensei's side, Usagi-san."

"Good, then it's settled." Tsumori wrote something down on his clipboard. "I'll give you all five more minutes with the patient, and then you'll all be forced to leave, save for Usami-san." The blonde handed Usami one of the badges again. "However, you have been assigned to this room. You may leave to use the restroom or get something to eat, but please be sure not to go into any other patients' rooms."

"Of course."

"I'll take my leave, then… Nowaki, I filled out all the necessary paperwork to turn the patient over into your care." He handed over the clipboard, and Nowaki took it, smiling his thanks to his senior as the blonde headed out.

"Only five more minutes…?" Misaki pouted. "Usagi-san… will you please walk us out when it's time to go?"

"Sure, sure." Usami nodded, turning his full attention to Misaki and caressing his cheek as Shinobu bumped the door closed.

"Is that a camera?" Kamijou mumbled, tiredly, pointing.

"Yes, there're cameras in every room, Hiro-san." Nowaki replied. "If you have to go to the bathroom, you can call for me, and I'll help you to the bathroom, and be sure to close the door… you really aren't supposed to exert yourself so soon after surgery… usually it is first day that we try to get the patient to do some light activity, but that's only something as small as getting out of bed, how could you wander all around the hospital like that?"

"…I don't know… I thought you were hurt, since we were in the hospital…" Kamijou admitted, blushing, lightly. "… When are these drugs going to wear off? I feel drunk…"

"Well, they should have already worn off while you were in the post-anesthesia care unit…" Nowaki informed his lover. "If they haven't worn off, yet, it should be any moment- ah, then again… you were given multiple vaccinations, because you have pneumonia."

"Wait…" Kamijou scratched his head, annoyed. "I have pneumonia, an infection, and also I had my appendix removed? What the hell?"

"That's just what happens when you fail to take care of yourself!" Usami snapped.

"Mmm…" Kamijou rolled his head to the side. "Nowaki… do my parents know?"

"I left a message on their machine, but they didn't answer, and they haven't gotten back to me."

"Mmm… they're not home, that's right…" Kamijou muttered. "They won't get it for another week or so… thank God… I didn't want them worrying over nothing."

"…" A furious silence filled the room, and then everyone was bellowing at the drugged-up professor at once.

Finally, the five minutes had passed, and it was time for the others to take their leave.

"Please stay here until I return." Usami asked of Nowaki, who nodded without replying, still holding Kamijou's hand. "Hiroki, I'll be right back… and if you're awake when I return, we're going to have a long, serious talk."

"I will definitely be asleep." Kamijou snapped, and Usami glowered at him, but Misaki tugged him out of the room.

"I'll tell my father about your condition and pull some strings for you, if I can, Kamijou-san." Shinobu promised. "Good night! Get better, soon! You don't want to dump ALL of your work on my poor Miyagi, do you?!"

"Don't listen to him, Kamijou. Just focus on getting better." Miyagi snapped. "We'll both come by tomorrow to terrorize you- I mean… to check up on you!"

"Ha-ha." Kamijou snapped. "Miyagi-!"

"Eh?"

"…MAKE THE TEST AS TOUGH AS POSSIBLE!"

"I'll make it even tougher than your tests, _**my sweet honey!!!" **_

"Professor, you wanna switch places?" Kamijou threatened as his superior retreated. Sighing, he looked up at Nowaki. "Nowaki, I'm so sorry… I really didn't mean for it to get this bad…"

"I'm going to take my break when Usami-san returns… I think there're some things we need to talk about… and I'm not going to pretend to be nice and say that I don't mind anymore. There're things that are deeply bothering me, and too many people know about it."

Kamijou's eyes widened. "Ah… who did you talk to?"

"No one told me what happened, but everyone seems to know."

"Everyone?"

"Usami-san. Takahashi-kun. Miyagi-Professor. I think even Takatsuki-kun may have known."

Kamijou buried his face in his hands, trembling furiously. 'How can that be?! How can that many people know?! So this whole time, they were here, thinking about THAT?! Knowing what I did?!!'

"…Hiro-san…" Nowaki frowned, wrapping his arms gently around his lover, not caring if the security team happened to notice. "…Calm down… everything will be alright…"

"…" Kamijou nodded, slowly, inhaling sharply. "…Can I have more drugs?"

"No." Nowaki smiled, taking the card off of the counter and handing it to Kamijou. "Here… maybe this will make you feel better."

"A card?" Kamijou stared at it as though it were a foreign object, then he noticed the flowers. "…Those are… flowers…"

"Yeah, the boys bought them for you."

"Boys?" Kamijou opened the card, eye twitching.

"Ah- well… actually, most of them signed it anonymously." Nowaki laughed, sitting beside his lover and peering over his shoulder.

"'Take care, Kamijou-sensei, get well soon!' … That one is definitely Takahashi-kun's writing. Did he really think I wouldn't be able to tell? And was Sumi Keiichi here, too? This one that says: 'We're counting on you! Get better, soon!' looks like his writing."

Nowaki laughed. "He came for a short while, apparently he happened upon you while walking home from a bar on Friday. He witnessed you getting the gash on your leg and he felt terrible about it."

"Mm…" Kamijou grumbled. "This one that says 'You're stupid for getting sick, get well soon,' is from that boytoy of Professor's."

"How do you know?"

"The writing. He leaves Professor bento boxes all the time with this same writing… and this scribbly thing here, this is a doctor's writing, but not yours, so it must be that blonde asshole's." Kamijou huffed.

"What's it say?" Nowaki asked.

"I can't read it. A doctor wrote it."

"Ah…"

"I'm not even going to read that pink monstrosity." Kamijou huffed, skipping to Usami's. 'Hiroki, I hope you get better as soon as possible, and I hope you adapt well to staying in the hospital, because as soon as your health returns in full, I will put you right back in the hospital for being so stupid…'"

Nowaki laughed, softly. "I think the caring is evident, despite the words."

"Yeah..." Kamijou smiled at Nowaki's note. 'Hiro-san, by the time you read this, you will be awake, and I promise I'm very happy because of it. I love you. Nowaki.'

"I'm glad you pulled through, Hiro-san…" Nowaki whispered, wanting very badly to kiss him, but knowing it would be better if he didn't. Not only was the camera on them, but Kamijou's heart rate was being monitored very closely… and it was important that they kept it static.

"I'm thirsty…" Kamijou mumbled.

"Let's wait a little longer before trying fluids."

"I smell hamburgers."

"Ah… yes… looks like they left us with two bags full… when you feel better, and after you've gotten used to eating… you can have some." Nowaki smiled.

"Nowaki, before Akihiko comes back, I just want you to know that even though that happened in the past, and at the time, I was so in love with him, you completely blew all that away!"

Nowaki's eyes widened. "Hiro-san…"

"I love you, Nowaki," Kamijou grabbed his sleeve, clinging to it. "I love you, and only you, and I'll never ever love anyone else again, ever! Only you!"

"Hiro-san… I love you, too."

"…And I'm sorry… to put everyone through so much grief…" Kamijou sighed. "Maybe I should have gone to a coffee shop or something to think."

"That's what your Professor said, too."

"Great, I agreed with the bastard, accidentally." He reopened the card and stared at the large pink writing with hearts all over. 'Kamijou, my sweet'…" He glowered, ignoring the next word, "'I brought something for you… it's under the bed'… good thing I read it…"

Nowaki blinked, kneeling down and pulling out a grocery bag, untying it and pulling out the contents. "Ah- I had him stop by the house, looks like he grabbed you a change of clothes."

"Mm…" Kamijou averted his gaze, annoyed. "I should get sick more often… even the biggest jerks are nice."

"Err… I wouldn't speak too soon, Hiro-san…" Nowaki smiled, blushing lightly as he raised an interesting pair of underwear that were obviously Kamijou's, but that he had never seen.

Kamijou's face turned crimson and he snatched them, clawing them apart.

'I'll freakin' get all better, and I'll freakin' kill him!!!"

"When did you get those, Hiro-san?!" Nowaki pouted, picking up the tattered pieces.

"IT WAS A GAG GIFT." Kamijou snapped. "I'd never really wear them! If he brought your pack, then you give me yours!"

"But I only have one pair…"

"That doesn't affect me!"

"Hi… Hiro-san, we aren't the same size…"

"I'll wear a belt!"

"On your underwear? Err… please watch your blood pressure and heart rate, Hiro-san…"

"Where are my clothes?" He suddenly realized he was wearing a hospital gown.

"…Ah… they'll be given back after they're washed. Hiro-san, there's another pair of underwear in here…" Nowaki mumbled, annoyed.

"Oh yeah?" Kamijou calmed down.

"…But you won't wear them…" Nowaki blushed, raising a pair of panties.

". . . I will murder him."

-..- . -..-

"Don't look so happy that you're taking two college boys home, you old pervert." Shinobu muttered as he sat next to Miyagi in the car, waiting.

"I'm happy because Kamijou is better, and everything will be okay." Miyagi huffed.

"Everything will be okay with him… we still have our own problems to take care of." Shinobu muttered.

"Yeah, but we'll take care of them when we're presented with them, right now, I'm going to revel in the fact that Kamijou is going to be okay… though, I'm not done worrying for him…" He rested his arms on the steering wheel, eyes narrowing on the car that was parked across from him.

"Why not?" Shinobu asked.

"…Usami-sensei is staying overnight… he and Kamijou have a lot to talk about… along with Nowaki."

"…" Shinobu huffed. "Why do you call him Kusama-san and Kusama-kun to his face, but Nowaki when he's not around?"

"Aaah… Nowaki was the first name I learned with regard to that guy… it was written on a crumpled piece of paper, then he said his name when he left a message with me, so I've always thought of him as 'Kamijou's Nowaki.' I know, I know… I shouldn't badger you about keigo if I'm going to think things like that in my demented head."

"…And you sometimes call Kamijou the devil, 'Hiroki.' Are you on a first-name basis with him?" Shinobu huffed, pouting.

"He doesn't like it…. So I do it to annoy him, like every other action."

"…You sure go out of your way to annoy him… that's how little boys try to show off to little girls they like, you know."

"…I am not a little boy." Miyagi snapped.

"Speaking of little boys…" Shinobu adjusted the rear-view mirror to try to sneak a peek at Usami and Misaki, but Miyagi fixed it.

"Be patient, Shinobu-chan, you little frat boys can gossip when he's done, for now, let them be, this is serious."

"I know that." Shinobu folded his arms, pouting before huffing. "Guess this means we can't have sex tonight."

"You and Misaki?"

"YOU AND ME, MORON!"

"Ah- we could sneak over to your apartment."

"Doesn't YOUR apartment still smell like RAMEN?"

"Ah, yeah… we should probably stay overnight at yours, then… take Misaki there…"

"Yeah, probably."

"Then we can sneak into my apartment and have hot, steamy, RAMEN sex!"

"…Don't talk to me for the rest of the night."

Miyagi laughed, softly at his brooding lover, trying to act so mature, as usual.

-..- . -..-

Outside, Usami was kissing Misaki sweetly on the forehead.

"If you don't want me to stay here overnight, I'll come back home as soon as we finish with our talk, or I can come pick you up." Usami told his lover.

"No, that's alright." Misaki shook his head. "You should be there for your friend. You'd be there for Niichan, and that's how I would want it… like Niichan, Kamijou-sensei is a close personal friend of yours…"

"And that's all he is to me, Misaki." Usami assured him, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek. "You know that… don't you?"

"…" Misaki's gaze dropped to the ground before he looked up, smiling brightly. "I know!" He assured him and Usami frowned.

"Misaki… stop masking your feelings. If you're feeling something, say it… if something is bothering you, talk to me about it… I don't like the idea of you being depressed…"

"…" Misaki frowned before sighing. "Usagi-san… if niichan had returned your feelings… would you have gotten together with him?"

Usami's eyes widened. He had hoped Misaki would never ask. It was a horrible question to ask, but he didn't blame Misaki for wondering. He supposed the question had probably always been lurking in the poor boy's mind. Finally, he placed his hands on Misaki's shoulders.

"Misaki… if Takahiro had confessed to me before I met you, then… yes… we probably would have gotten together…"

Misaki frowned, very disappointedly.

"But he didn't." Usami told him. "And if he had confessed AFTER you and I had gotten together, I would still love you more than I did him, so I would have to apologize to him…and decline."

Misaki looked up, happily. "Really?!"

Usami nodded. "But you don't have to even worry about such a thing, because the reality is, I love you. More than anyone, I love you, and Takahiro loves Manami."

"…What about back when you were in love with Takahiro and Kamijou-sensei was in love with you… did you know how Kamijou-sensei felt about you?"

Usami frowned. "…If I ever thought about the possibility, I would quickly divert my thoughts… not to hurt Hiroki…not to ignore him… but because I've always thought that having lewd thoughts about the people I care about is horrible-"

"YOU ARE A LIAR!"

"Well, that's how I felt about Hiroki, anyway." Usami huffed. "You know what I mean. My novels are an outlet for my creativity, for fantasies, and I can differentiate between fantasy and reality, so when it came to considering the reality of things, I guess you could say I was avoidant when it came to Hiroki."

"Why Hiroki?!" Misaki snapped. "You never held back when it came to Niichan! When it came to me!"

"I…" Usami sighed. "I've still used him, as you've seen. He's in those novels."

"So you DID think some lewd things about him!"

"Well-"

"And you've been friends with him since before you met Takahiro, right?!"

"Yes, friends, and nothing more. Misaki, your jealousy toward Aikawa and Isaka was cute, but this is getting a little annoying." Usami admitted.

Misaki's eyes widened. "Wh-why's that? Is it because you never felt any certain way about Aikawa-san or Isaka-san, but maybe there're still some feelings inside of you for Kamijou-sensei that you've never even bothered to explore?!"

"It's not like that! It's annoying because you're talking about a very dear friend of mine, and it bothers me that you would suspect me after everything we've been through, besides, he has someone, and I have you. How many times do you want me to say it before you'll believe me?!"

"…I don't know…" Misaki snapped, back, furiously.

"Maybe you won't believe my words, maybe I need to show you how much you mean to me with my body." Usami snapped, pulling Misaki close, but Misaki pulled away, annoyed.

"Stop it! I'm leaving! You can work things out with Kamijou-sensei, then we'll talk more tomorrow, but I'm not going to make those guys wait up anymore, and you should hurry to your precious friend!" Misaki snapped.

"Misaki-"

"Maybe you and me should take a break." Misaki snapped, suddenly.

Usami's eyes widened. Misaki had resisted and protested when it came to their relationship in the past, but he'd never, ever suggested breaking up before…

"Misaki, don't say that." He snapped.

"Maybe a ten or fifteen year break." Misaki muttered, frowning. "…We can be friends during that time, then, maybe you'll fall in love with me properly, and treasure me just as much as you treasure your long-term friends."

"I've known Takahiro and Hiroki a long time, it's true, but I only knew you for six months and I fell in love. Doesn't that mean more than all those years I spent caring for them?"

"…I don't know…" Misaki's shoulders slumped and he slowly wrapped his arms around himself as a cold wind blew. "…But all I know is, something doesn't feel right between you and Kamijou-sensei… maybe it's because the two of you have never come to terms… maybe that's all I'm sensing, is the tension built up from all that regret and sorrow… maybe if you two come to terms, my uneasiness will vanish along with yours… I don't know… I'm sorry… I… I'm sorry…"

"…" Usami pulled Misaki close, hugging him tightly. "…Misaki… I love you."

"…Usagi-san…" Misaki whimpered, sorrowfully, "…I'm sorry… And I love you, too… But please resolve everything tonight… I just want everything to be better… I don't like this insecure feeling eating away at me…"

"…I'll do my best." Usami pressed a kiss to Misaki's forehead before kissing him hungrily on the lips. "…Get some sleep, Misaki."

"…You, too. If Kamijou-sensei falls asleep, please also sleep."

Usami nodded. "I will. I'll pick you up from school tomorrow, and we'll visit Hiroki together, alright?"

Misaki sniffed, then nodded.

"Go on, before you catch a cold. The last thing I want is for you to end up in there." Usami whispered, and Misaki nodded.

"You, too, Usagi-san… Usagi-san?"

"Hm?"

"…Th-that's why I don't want you to smoke…"

Usami sighed, heavily, annoyed. "…I'll try to quit."

"Goodnight, Usagi-san."

"Goodnight, Misaki."

-..- . -..- -..- . -..- **REVIEWS ARE LOVE!**-..- . -..- -..- . -..-

**Foot notes and cultural notes:**

**(1) **Post-anesthesia care-

After the _appendectomy_, (the surgery to remove the _appendix_), a patient who had been suffering from _appendicitis_ would then be taken to the post-anesthesia care unit, where they are monitored and tests are run to ensure that everything went smoothly. After that, they are taken back to a hospital room.

**(2) **

"_Th-this is-!! This is-!!! Ka-Ka-Kami-" _

_"The work of a god, yes." Usami nodded, agreeing. _

Miyagi is realizing that the character in the novel is based off of Kamijou, so he's stammering, embarrassedly, trying to say his subordinate's name, but all he manages to get out is "Kami," which, in Japanese, means "God," so Usami's pun is that his work is that of a God.

**(3) **The electronic cigarette

This is a real thing. My mom is using one to quit, it's pretty cool, so I thought I would incorporate it into the story in an attempt to convey Misaki and Shinobu's love for their respective seme. I thought it appropriate for the mood, since they are in the hospital, and the thought of their loved ones being in there due to illness or poor health is probably on their minds, so smoking would probably be the first thing they'd think of. (Well, Shinobu, anyway. For Misaki, I think he's probably more afraid of Usami working himself to death in an attempt to meet a deadline.)

**Japanese Translations: (No particular order)**

**Bento- **A Japanese boxed lunch that usually consists of a love-filled meal made by a wife or mother, but that can also be bought from a convenience store. (See ep. 10, 12 of JR anime: extras after the credits.)

**Professor- **"Professor" In the manga and anime, Kamijou refers to Miyagi as "Professor" or "Professor Miyagi," and in the manga, vol. 8, Nowaki calls him "Daigaku Kyouju" which means "University Professor."

**Sempai- **One's senior. Misaki refers to Sumi Keiichi as "Sempai" or "Sumi-sempai," and in vol. 8, the blonde haired man in this chapter is Nowaki's sempai, Tsumori, though his exact position is relatively unknown, he's also seen in vol. 10, during the mini Egoist Valentine Day arc. He didn't get as many chocolates as Nowaki, from what I can tell. XD I just recently realized his name is 'Tsumori' so if you catch a 'sempai' here or there, forgive me!

**Kohai- **Opposite of 'sempai,' a Kohai is someone's junior. Misaki is Sumi's kohai. Misaki notes that Shinobu is, technically, his kohai.

**Seme- **The 'attacker' in a homosexual relationship. If you don't know this term, you don't belong here! XD

**Uke- **The receiver in a homosexual relationship. Opposite of Seme. The 'bottom,' so to say.

**Keigo- **More polite form of Japanese speech.

**Chapter Nine Summary: **Usami confronts Kamijou about the feelings that should have died, and is presented with some hidden feelings of his own. Misaki gives Shinobu a little cooking lesson in exchange for some information about the Literature test Misaki has to take the following day.


	9. Confrontation and Smitty Escapades

**AN: **Thank you all so much for your kind reviews; they're keeping me writing! Constructive criticism is also welcome!

**WARNINGS: **I do not own Junjou Romantica. Spoilers for up to vol. 10

**Disclaimers: **I do not own Junjou Romantica- K, Thanx.

**Chapter 9 Summary: **Usami finally confronts Kamijou about any feelings that may not necessarily have been buried in the past, and Nowaki finds out about what happened between the two. Meanwhile, a homesick and lovelorn Misaki is staying with the Terrorists for the night, and he overhears some odd noises coming from the apartment next door. He has a bad habit of eavesdropping. (Muahahaha.)

**Final notes: **Before I go raising anyone's hopes, there will be no actual marriages in this fic-series. XD I try to keep everything as close to canon as possible… as much as an AU fic can be, anyway…

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 9: A little Confrontation; A lot of Smutty Escapades **

-..- . -..-

"Thanks for letting me stop by here to pick up a change of clothes." Misaki called from his room as he stuffed as much of his belongings into his bag as he could cram inside.

"It's no problem at all." Miyagi called up to him, slapping Shinobu's hand when he reached, with eyes bulging with excitement, for the manuscript of an upcoming Junai novel.

Shinobu glowered at him for interfering.

"Sorry for the inconvenience!" Misaki exclaimed as he hurried down the stairs, nearly tripping in his hurry.

The two watched, both standing immediately with shock when Misaki tripped over the last stair, but he rolled into his fall and continued toward them.

"…NINJA!" Shinobu gasped, excitedly. If he could learn the ways of a ninja from Misaki, perhaps that would get him one step closer to becoming more like Matsuo Bashou, thus increasing the depths of Miyagi's love for him!!

"Y-you alright?!" Miyagi asked as Misaki hurried past.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I won't keep you guys anymore; let's go, now, if that's alright."

"Sure." Miyagi smiled. "Err, you might want to bring some snacks, too, if you don't like cabba-"

"We have plenty of hamburgers!" Shinobu interjected, annoyed. "Enough to feed an army, so c'mon!"

"Right!" Misaki nodded, eagerly.

-..- . -..-

The apartment that the three had arrived at looked to be organized and clean. As Misaki looked around, he began to develop a sense of homesickness right away. Despite that he had been inside his apartment less than half an hour ago, he felt his chest tighten…

Perhaps it wasn't the apartment…

Perhaps it was the temporary loss of Usagi-san…

Misaki's brow twitched as he grit his teeth. 'What the hell?! Am I developing some kind of separation anxiety for Usagi-san?!"

"Sorry for the mess." Shinobu apologized as he took Misaki's coat and hung it up in the closet.

"What mess?" Misaki blinked.

Shinobu pointed to a magazine on the couch, and Misaki just stared, blankly, as the teen headed over and set it on his coffee table.

"...Oh… err… of course… no problem…" Misaki replied, unsure as to whether or not the stoic teen was attempting to make a joke. "So is this your place?"

"Yeah," Shinobu replied, glancing behind him. Miyagi must have headed into his own apartment to grab some clothes or something. "Miyagi's is next door."

"…Oh…" Misaki nodded. "You live next to each other?"

"This apartment's just for appearances." Shinobu shrugged. "You look tired, you alright?"

"Ah… I'm not tired… to be honest, I don't think I'll even be able to sleep very well tonight." Misaki frowned.

"Why not?" Shinobu inquired.

"…I don't know…" Misaki frowned. "…I mean… how would you feel if Miyagi-sensei were staying the night with Kamijou-sensei?"

Misaki instantly regretted asking that question. The look on Shinobu's face frightened him. It was a look of livid fury. The boy's trembling and clenched fist lifted and a low growl emitted from his throat as his eyes practically glowed red, teeth grinding together.

"Ah-ha!! Forget I asked!!" Misaki waved his hands about, spastically. 'Kami-sama, what've I DONE?!'

"Hmm…" The werewolf untransformed and glanced off into space, thoughtfully for a moment before fixing his gaze on Misaki. "…So your Usagi-san and Kusama-san's Kamijou-sensei had some kind of fling, get over it. He loves you now, right? Didn't we already have this discussion? What'd you and he say when you parted ways back there? In the hospital parking lot, I mean."

Misaki frowned, gaze lowering to the carpet. "…It's… forget it… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said anything."

"If you need to talk about it, talk about it." Shinobu shrugged. "I'll listen."

"…It's okay… I just need to talk to Usagi-san again… hopefully, after he's cleared everything up with Kamijou-sensei, everything will be better…"

Shinobu frowned. If the dismal look in Misaki's eyes were any indication; there were various doubts in his heart with regard to whether or not his lover would choose him over the other man.

"Don't be jealous of Kamijou-sensei, what's he got that you don't?" Shinobu huffed.

"A good aim."

"Huh??"

"Nothing…" Misaki sighed, setting his things on the couch and sitting down on it. "…I mean… he's obviously more… experienced… and he's closer to Usagi-san's age…"

"That only gives you more advantage." Shinobu snapped, leaning against the wall. "Just like how guys like me like _older_ men, there're far more men who like _younger_ men…"

"…" Misaki sighed. "Maybe… I don't know… I don't think age has anything to do with loving someone…"

"Always good to hear. I get a lot of crap, so it's nice to hear someone more open-minded when it comes to the matters of love." Shinobu smiled. "So what else?"

"…They're childhood friends… and Kamijou-sensei is undeniably attractive…"

"You're not so bad looking yourself." Shinobu picked his ear, annoyed. He couldn't stand people that beat themselves up; pessimists were irritating to the core, but he got the feeling that Misaki was more like he was, self-depreciating only when it came to comparing yourself to that of someone your lover seems to have an eye for…

"You _know,_" He huffed, folding his arms. "I may not be a love expert… in fact, I've never really had a girlfriend or boyfriend at all before I fell in love with Miyagi… but… I think Usami-san wasn't just irritable today because of his friend getting hurt, or mixed up feelings for Kamijou-sensei… I think he felt bad about feeling like that and taking it out on you a little bit."

"…What makes you think that?" Misaki inquired.

"Well… after he snapped at you, even if only for an instant, he glanced at you and looked like he felt really bad… I've seen Miyagi look at me the same way- you know… like when he barked at me about the cigarettes… I told you about that, right?" Shinobu smirked, nudging Misaki, who smiled, lightly.

"…Yeah, you did…"

"So what I'm trying to say is… seme try to look tough and sometimes they act grumpy when they're stressed out, but you have to trust in that they love you deep down, under all the stress… and Usami-san's eyes looked like he really loves you."

"…I don't know about _THAT._" Misaki blushed, annoyed.

"I'm not saying it to sound like a sappy high school girl." Shinobu snapped, annoyed at the thought of giving his new-found fellow-uke friend that impression. "…It's because it's true. When someone loves someone, you can see a change in their eyes. Like whenever you talk about Usami-san for example." He smirked.

"…" Misaki glowered, blushing deeply. "O-oh_ really_?"

"Really." Shinobu smirked, unfolding his arms. "SO! You hungry?"

"Yeah… you?"

"Ah…Did we leave those hamburgers in the car?" Shinobu looked around.

"I dunno about you, but _I _brought in the bag _I_ was in charge of." Misaki smirked, raising his.

"Excuuuse me, I didn't know I was in charge of a particular bag." Shinobu huffed.

"I haven't had fast food in a long time… other than the stuff they serve in the cafeteria at my college." Misaki tossed him a hamburger.

"Ah, do you cook?" Shinobu asked, quickly.

"Yeah," Misaki didn't seem to notice the spark of interest that flashed in Shinobu's eyes. He just continued unwrapping his own burger, "I do the cooking for me and Usagi-san. Before that, I always cooked for me and my brother."

"Really? So you're fairly good at it, yes?" Shinobu's eyes sparkled as Misaki took a bite of his burger and waited to finish chewing before he replied.

"Well, a lot of people seem to think so, so I guess I am. AH! What am I doing?! I should be studying for tomorrow's test!"

"You knoooow…" Shinobu's eyes shifted, slyly. "I was asking Miyagi something earlier today and he happened to mention that it related to the information that you guys would be tested on tomorrow…"

"WHAT WAS IT?! I can center my studying around that!" Misaki exploded with excitement.

"You know, nothing's free in this world." Shinobu smiled, sweetly.

"…Huh?"

"I give you some literature notes I took, you give me some cooking lessons tomorrow morning- we'll make breakfast, sound fair?"

"…Uh… teach you to make breakfast? Sure! And in exchange, you'll tell me what Miyagi-sensei told you about tomorrow's test?!"

"If I recall correctly, he said it would be the main focal point of tomorrow's test."

Misaki's eyes sparkled. "REALLY?!"

"Yeah… and just in case, I can teach you a little bit about Bashou, since his tests always include at least one question about him."

"Thank you!"

"Now, what the hell is taking him so long?" Shinobu huffed, glancing at the door. "Anyway, since you'll be getting up early to teach me to cook, let's hurry and get your bed set up so we can study."

"Bed? I can sleep here, on the couch, if you don't mind." Misaki suggested.

"That's no good, Miyagi and I just had sex there, earlier today."

Misaki's face paled and he quickly stood, moving as far away from the couch as possible, nearly backing against a wall. He shouldn't be so shocked… there wasn't a piece of furniture in his own home that he and Usami hadn't had sex in… they'd even had sex in his car…

…

In his… car…

His face paled. That meant these two had probably also had sex in the car he had ridden in today… and would ride in the next day, too…

"I just washed the sheets and blankets for my bed, you can sleep there." Shinobu decided. 'The furthest place from Miyagi's bedroom, where he and I will have sex tonight, if I play my cards right… err… this morning, technically…' He glanced at his watch.

"Ermm… b-but I don't want you guys to have to sleep out here…" Misaki told him, "Why should I impose-?"

"It's alright, we're lovers, we'll cuddle and keep warm by the floor-heater." Shinobu cut him off. "It'll be fun… like camping."

"Oh, okay…" Misaki smiled, innocently, going back to his burger.

Shinobu glowered at the door, wondering what was taking his lover so long. "Takahashi, I'll be right back."

"Oh, okay. Going to check on Miyagi-sensei?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah… go ahead and move your stuff to my room."

-..- . -..-

Usami made his way up the stairs, toward the 11th floor of the hospital. He was going to take the elevator, but had seen a dead person being transported by a stretcher, riding it with some accompanying doctors and nurses. This made him realize that many, many dead people were probably transported using each and every elevator, but he doubted any had been transported using stairs, so up he walked, hoping not to run into anymore dead people.

…

It wasn't that he was necessarily afraid of the thought of death, nor did he become easily depressed over the thought of it… really, he was just using it as an excuse to prolong the inevitable. He had to confront Kamijou Hiroki, his best friend, if you didn't include Takahiro, of many, many years.

He had probably given the bastard his first kiss when they were ten years old.

It was probably his fault that Kamijou had fallen in love with him in the first place.

How many of those men that Kamijou had bragged about sleeping with in his youthful days had only been replacements? How many of those times in which Kamijou was bragging, drunkenly, about said men was he really trying to get a rise out of Usami? Trying to get him to show even a spark of jealousy?

He was furious at Hiroki, yet he was sympathetic as well… For the most part, he was furious with himself. That same excruciating emotional pain that he'd felt for those long years, watching over Takahiro, knowing his love would never be returned, the pain of unrequited love… was being inflicted on his close, dearly beloved friend, and by none other than the great novelist himself. Yes, he understood that pain better than anyone…

Well, apparently not. It appeared that one Kamijou Hiroki was the one to know better than anyone…

He sighed, chomping harder on the gum he'd stuck in his mouth, trying to distract his mouth, which yearned for a cigarette… No way this stress was good for him.

Every time he thought about inflicting the pain of unrequited love onto his best friend, he groaned, quietly. The feeling was immense, powerful, painful… it made you do stupid things, as Kamijou had- and damn it… he would never have done that with Hiroki, had only he known how the other men had actually felt… No matter what anyone thought of him, he wasn't _that _low.

_Or had he known?_

Shaking off that thought, he hit a top step. 'I would never want that feeling to be passed onto Misaki, either, yet he's probably sitting at those two guys' place right now, feeling jealous, rejected… hurt… neglected…'

He glowered when he realized he'd actually reached the twelfth floor. Had he done it on purpose, subconsciously? Annoyed, he turned, heading back down one last flight of stairs. He wouldn't procrastinate anymore. Kamijou needed closure, and Misaki needed closure…

Misaki…

He frowned, stopping.

"_I imagine that if you loved someone in the past,"_

_Usami's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to stop Nowaki from saying what he was about to say, but somehow, the words never came, or perhaps he just couldn't say it in time, because Nowaki finished his thought;_

_"you never really get over them completely…" Nowaki finished, a sullen expression on his face._

_And it was too late… the damage had been done… Misaki's worst fears had been reaffirmed with those words, and the boy's gaze fell, momentarily, to the floor, before he raised his head again, smiling to mask his pain._

_-.-.-_

_"I'm worried about my friend, alright! Get over it." Usami snapped, and Misaki flinched at the sudden snappy tone in his lover's voice, arms unfolding, nervously._

-.-.-

Recalling the previous few hours' worth of events and analyzing the damage dealt to Misaki, Usami hesitated before continuing on. He had been snappy with Misaki… he had shown more consideration and concern for Kamijou than Misaki, which, under these circumstances, was to be expected, but…

But still…

Shaking his head once more to clear it of these negative emotions, he continued on, descending. Talking to Kamijou would give everyone the closure they needed; he was certain of it. And if talking didn't do the trick, then he'd do whatever it took to ensure that all feelings were left buried in the past, where they belonged. He didn't want anyone he cared about to be in anymore pain.

He arrived on the eleventh floor, opened the doors, headed through the elevator room to the main floor, and proceeded to room 113F.

-..- . -..-

"MIYAGI!" Shinobu threw open the locked door to his lover's apartment, furiously, before stopping dead in his tracks.

Risako turned to him, seemingly irritated, as she often was when in her little brother's presence, and Miyagi was just sitting on his couch, arms folded.

"Yo, Shinobu-chin, sorry I'm taking so long, your precious nee-san was waiting for me in here for hours on end. I thought I should talk to her for a moment. How is Takahashi-kun doing? Is he getting situated?"

"Takahashi-kun?" Risako asked, curiously, turning from glowering at her brother, to blinking at Miyagi, interested.

"My co-worker ended up in the hospital, like I told you, and he had some issues to sort out with Takahashi-kun's roommate, so we decided to bring him over to spend the night with us so he wouldn't feel lonely at home… he lives in this big mansion, you see-"

"Pleeeease…" Risako interjected with a painful expression on her face. "Spare me the trivial information. I absolutely can't stand it in this disgusting-smelling apartment another second longer…"

"Like I said," Miyagi muttered, uneasily, not yet meeting Shinobu's gaze, "She's been in here for hours- I'm surprised she's alive."

"About what I said…" Risako rubbed her temples. "Take it into some deep consideration, would you, _You_?"

"Sorry about the smell…" Miyagi muttered, averting his gaze again when Shinobu glanced at him upon hearing his sister say 'about what I said.'

She moved to pass Shinobu without another word, but she paused as she neared the door, when she felt a tug at her sleeve.

Blinking, she glanced over the shoulder that belonged to the sleeve that had been tugged.

Shinobu had caught her before she could leave and, still not facing her, as though he hadn't moved at all except to reach back and grab her, he mumbled, in a soft and sincere voice;

"Risako-rin… I love you." (1).

Her eyes widened for a moment, and despite her earlier claim about her lack of tolerance for the smell of the apartment, she remained froze, speechless, for _several_ seconds.

Finally, slowly, Shinobu released her sleeve, and for an instant, Risako caught a glimpse of her baby brother's torn, fragile face.

Sighing, a small smile graced her features and she reached up to touch her lips, as though she hadn't smiled in a very long time, or as though she were suppressing a giggle, one wouldn't be able to tell.

"…Risako-rin… you haven't called me that since you were seven years old… that's the only part of you that hasn't changed at all, you selfish, spoiled brat."

Her words were endearing, and full of a fondness known only by that of an older sister to her younger, bratty brother.

Without another word, and truly unable to stand the residual smell of the burnt ramen, she left.

Shinobu stared sadly at the floor for a moment, not even realizing his lover had gotten to his feet until he felt warm arms embrace him, pulling him tightly against an equally warm chest.

"…Shinobu-chin… you act tough, but you're really such a child."

"Shut up."

"And you're incredibly cute." Miyagi raised his lover's face, moving in for a kiss, and even though the older man instigated rarely, Shinobu found himself pulling away from it, resisting, with all his might, the urge to submit to his desires.

_First things first._

"What did she mean when she said that?" He inquired, staring imploringly at his lover.

Miyagi sighed. "…She said she didn't tell anyone… that she wouldn't tell anyone… But… obviously she wants it to stop."

"…Did she make any threats?" Shinobu lowered his saddening gaze to the floor.

"She didn't do anything, and she won't… it's amazed me how much she's matured since we've parted ways… maybe it's me. Maybe I bring out the immaturity in people."

"Don't be stupid, it's not like it's _contagious._" Shinobu huffed. "What else did she say?"

"I am not immature. I am an astute-"

"What else did she say?" Shinobu pressed.

Miyagi sighed. "…She just told me all the reasons why we wouldn't work out, why I should leave you alone, etc., etc., etc." He waved the matter away. "Same ol,' same ol. It's not like I made this decision lightly, in any case… I don't see what her problem is."

"What decision?" Shinobu snapped.

"Being with you."

"…" Shinobu glared.

"…What? I said I decided to be with you… it's true. It's not like I decided to love you. That came naturally." He reached for his younger lover's pouting face yet again, pulling it close once more. "No resisting this time."

"Miyagi…" Shinobu closed his eyes and reached up to hold loosely onto Miyagi's wrists as they kissed. Their tongues mingled and after a moment, he felt something slide between his legs and nudge his crotch.

He stepped backward and Miyagi stepped forward, and they continued like that, until Shinobu was backed into the wall, Miyagi's leg slid between his again, and he continued brushing his knee against the bulge in the teen's pants.

"Mi… Miya…" Shinobu moaned whenever Miyagi's mouth pulled away slightly.

Then he felt his own wrists being pinned to the wall, and he felt Miyagi's mouth on his neck and jaw.

"M-Miyagi…" Shinobu whispered. "We have to do it in your room, or Takahashi will hear… ah… Takahashi…" He moaned softly, and Miyagi pulled away, glowering. "H-he's waiting for us."

"Did you have to MOAN his name?" Miyagi huffed, relieved that his lover was just too aroused to convey his message in a normal tone.

"H-he's waiting for us…" Shinobu repeated, breathily.

"It's alright, you're fast."

Miyagi received a gentle smack to the face for that one.

Which, somehow, only seemed to turn him on more as he went in for another kiss.

"Wait!" Shinobu snapped, pushing him away, furiously. "YOU WANNA LOCK THE DOOR, THIS TIME?!"

"Excuse me!" Misaki nudged the already partly opened door open all the way, peering inside as he knocked on the door. "Ah, there you two are… is everything okay?"

"…" The two stared, both blushing lightly. Their hair was frazzled, their clothes were rustled, it was pretty apparent what they had been doing, still standing so close to one another, Miyagi's hands still on Shinobu's slim wrists.

"…Um…" Shinobu started.

"Was that woman your sister, Shinobu?" Misaki asked, gesturing behind himself.

"…W-woman?" Shinobu blinked, realizing Misaki was way too inobservant to realize what they had been doing.

"Yeah, I came to find you guys and she was listening in at the door, blushing really hard… I asked if she'd seen two guys fitting your description and she pointed, smiled, saying 'you must be Takahashi-kun, have a good evening!' and then she ran off…"

"…LISTENING IN AND BLUSHING, HUH?" Miyagi smirked as Shinobu's face paled.

"Yeah… anyway, you guys coming?" Misaki smiled, innocently. Or ignorantly, however you want to look at it.

-..- . -..-

Pushing open the door to room 113F, Usami was met with the sight of his childhood friend being pinned down by a woman. Something he'd never, ever, ever, ever, EVER thought he'd see.

Another woman was stabbing him in the arm with a needle, Nowaki was nowhere to be seen.

"Akihiko! Help! They're infecting me with a rare disease that will come to be known as the Kamijou epidemic that swept across Japan!! Then the virus will mutate and become a pandemic, spreading world-wide! You must stop them!"

"…You read too many books." Usami snapped. "And obviously are on way too many drugs."

"You will live a full, long life, and on your death bed you'll look back and think: Why?! I could have prevented it… it's all your fault! No! No long life for you! You're the first one I'll infect!"

"Where is Kusama-sensei?" Usami picked his ear, bored as he watched 'Suzuki-san' the nurse. He would now have to buy a nurse bear and name it Suzuki-san.

"Oh, Kusama-SENSEI?" She giggled. "Well, he's tending to a young girl patient right now, he's been with her off and on all night."

"A girl?" Kamijou muttered, watching as Suzuki-san placed a band-aid over the hole she'd made with the damnable needle. Upon realizing the band-aid had pandas on it, he decided the shot wasn't really so bad…

"Yes, she's seven years old… She's a cancer patient and she's grown _quite_ fond of him."

"Isn't telling us that she's a cancer patient some kind of breech of patient confidentiality or something?" Kamijou asked, dizzily as his head started spinning.

"What'd you give him?" Usami inquired as Suzuki headed out.

"It should help him sleep." She smiled, gesturing to the chair. "Since I heard you'll be staying the night, I brought a more comfortable chair in here. It's kind of you to stay by the patient's side. Most post-op patients feel really anxious and like to have someone with them the night after their operation."

"Nope. Take him with you." Kamijou muttered sleepily, letting his head roll to one side.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Usami told her and she bowed, leaving. Usami turned to Kamijou, annoyed. "Does it bother you that your lover works a thankless job?"

"Thankless? Sounds like that cancer patient appreciates him." Kamijou muttered, watching as Usami sat.

"Her, yes. But then there're patients like _you_ who treat those who save their lives the way you just treated that young woman."

"I'll thank her IF I survive." Kamijou snapped, pulling his blanket up to his neck and holding his hand out.

Usami blinked. "…What? Want my gum?" He'd been chewing gum since he knew cigarettes weren't permitted inside, and since Misaki had said his breath had smelled of Tobacco.

"No… I want that. I've been hanging onto that all night, but… they made me put it down so I could take my shot."

"'That'?" Usami looked around, spotting the flowers and card from earlier, and an odd-looking panda on a stick, holding what appeared to be an American flag, then a bag of clothes, and finally a fast food bag filled with hamburgers.

He took it, confused, staring at it. "This thing?"

"Yes, give it to me."

"…What is it?" Usami inquired.

"Don't mess with it, just give it to me!" Kamijou snapped, seriously. "If you break it, I won't forgive you, not even after death! Which I assure you would come soon…"

Without questioning his odd friend any further, he handed the… thing… to Kamijou, who took it and hid it under the covers in his arms, probably hugging it.

Usami let out a soft chuckle. "Is that some kind of souvenir your boyfriend got you while in America last year?"

"Yeah, so?" Kamijou muttered, shutting his eyes. "And…What took you so long?"

Usami's teasing smirk vanished and he sighed. "…Sorry… I uh…"

"No, it's okay… I know we have to talk sooner or later, but Nowaki couldn't wait around any longer, and I didn't want him to get into any trouble… I told him to check back in with us in the morning…"

"Any time is fine with me… you just get your rest, you need it." Usami muttered. "…How do you feel?"

"…Hff…" Kamijou exhaled with a small smile, eyes still closed. He looked so exhausted…

"Hiroki-"

"Akihiko… you really are kind…" The brunette mumbled, softly, before his breathing indicated he had fallen asleep.

Getting comfortable in the chair, Usami folded his hands, and let his thoughts wander.

-.-.-

_"Yes, friends, and nothing more. Misaki, your jealousy toward Aikawa and Isaka was cute, but this is getting a little annoying." Usami admitted._

_Misaki's eyes widened. "Wh-why's that? Is it because you never felt any certain way about Aikawa-san or Isaka-san, but maybe there're still some feelings inside of you for Kamijou-sensei that you've never even bothered to explore?!"_

-.-.-__

"I've known Takahiro and Hiroki a long time, it's true, but I only knew you for six months and I fell in love. Doesn't that mean more than all those years I spent caring for them?"

_"…I don't know…" Misaki's shoulders slumped and he slowly wrapped his arms around himself as a cold wind blew. "…But all I know is, something doesn't feel right between you and Kamijou-sensei… maybe it's because the two of you have never come to terms… maybe that's all I'm sensing, is the tension built up from all that regret and sorrow… maybe if you two come to terms, my uneasiness will vanish along with yours… I don't know… I'm sorry… I… I'm sorry…"_

-.-.-

The novelist furrowed his brows as he glanced at his childhood friend. He looked exactly as he had when he was ten years old as he lay there, holding that souvenir to his chest, his blankets pulled to his nose.

He found himself smiling, reaching over and moving a bang from Kamijou's moist forehead. He then frowned, glancing at the machines that were hooked up to his friend, wondering what the hell they meant, but hoping they meant he was okay, and that his hot forehead was due to a fever that would soon go away.

'How do I feel about you?' He thought, annoyed. 'Of course I love you. You're my dear friend. I hate that you suffered as I did… the pain of unrequited love… I'm sorry. I love Misaki. You love that tall guy, right?'

He wondered how he would go through with this. He analyzed the possible dialogue in his mind. Old habits die hard; his mind would probably always work like that of a novelist.

'Hiroki, baka, tell me right now you don't have any feelings for me.'

'Akihiko… I can't deny my feelings any longer… I've tried suppressing them using the love of another man but they've only continued to build up over the years, please accept my love!'

…Yeeeah… Kamijou MIGHT say something like that in his drug-induced state, but it was more likely that hell would freeze over.

How about…

'Hiroki, tell me right now that you have no feelings for me.'

'Bakahiko! Of course I don't! I was in my prime back then! I can't help it if, at that time, I couldn't control my physical desires! That's not my fault! It's yours!'

Hmm… getting closer, but no dice.

'Hiroki, tell me right now that you have no feelings for me.'

'What?! You're a man! I'm a man! That's impossible! I like women!'

Usami shook his head frantically. That was even less likely to happen than the first one!!

'Hiroki, tell me right now that you have no feelings for me.'

'…I have no feelings for you.'

Ah, now that was too easy…

'And what about the past?'

'The past is in the past. Who cares?'

Yes, yes, that would be ideal, but there was obviously more to it than that.

'Hiroki-'

'Akihiko! Tell me right now that you have no feelings for me!!'

'…'

Usami sighed, defeatedly, glancing at Hiroki.

Hiroki was nothing like the men he loved. Takahiro had been kind, gentle, dedicated, and loyal… Misaki held all of those traits and more; he was compassionate, caring, innocent, generous… and so utterly adorable… whereas… Hiroki was pretty much the exact opposite…

He was egotistical, prideful, somewhat cruel by nature; though that had always been a rather obvious defense mechanism to keep people from taking advantage of him… he was cynical and easily irritated, sarcastic and often sardonic in nature as well…

No matter how he looked at it, he could only bring himself to love Kamijou Hiroki as a friend. A dear friend, but nothing more…

Yet ever since he'd found out about Hiroki's having been rushed to the hospital, he had felt completely torn apart, clinging only to the hope that everything would be okay…

And he would be okay. That relieved him… his thoughts had constantly been shifting to Hiroki over the weekend, even when he was supposed to be working on his novel, due to the confrontation on Friday.

Kamijou Hiroki had loved him.

That much had been made apparent… he had also tried to seduce him…

He'd seemed so nonchalant about it at the time… playing it off as though he'd just become irritated with Usami's complaining about his own unrequited love and suggesting he do something about it to help him 'get over' it…

...

_"I've already told you a million times, if you just go get laid, your desires will probably be satisfied." Hiroki had muttered, nonchalantly as he read a book on the floor, lying against his own bed. (2)._

_"It's not like just anyone will do. It has to be Takahiro." Usami snapped, annoyed as he relaxed, (sort of), in said bed. "And it's not like fucking will get this out of my system!"_

_He had come to this sanctuary again- this was the third time this month, actually… but now he was finally done with his God-forsaken manuscript._

_"How do you know if you haven't tried it?" Hiroki inquired, "You might just think you love him because you're with him all the time. He is attractive, I'll admit, but it's not like he's the same as us. He has a girlfriend, right?"_

_Usami glared. "So what?"_

_"So why waste your time waiting for someone who bats for the other team, anyway? Your only chance with him is if you get a sex change, and even then, he already claims to be in love, right? By the way; if you ever get a sex change, I'll disown you. Anhyway, just have sex with someone already."_

_"Like some stranger, like how you always do?"Usami snapped, blatantly ignoring the sex change comment._

_Hiroki flinched for a moment before continuing his fake-reading. "You'll feel more relieved, in any case, trust me. Besides, it doesn't have to be a stranger."_

_"I don't know anyone else who likes men except you."_

_"Fine, I'll do it." Hiroki had muttered, but not easily. "Hell, you can even pretend I'm your precious Takahiro, and it'll be like holding Takahiro for real. Maybe if you get a feel for having a man in real life, instead of in your fantasies, you'll finally be able to get over him… and if not, you'll have had a night with Takahiro."_

_"You're nothing like Takahiro." Usami muttered, getting up to leave. Though he had only meant for his statement to be relative to their argument in that Hiroki didn't LOOK anything like Takahiro, the other man had obviously taken it the wrong way._

_"Well, I may not be some wimpy four-eyed nice-guy whose sole purpose in life is to take care of his little brother, but at least I'm not sitting around waiting for the love of some guy who's never gonna love me back!' Hiroki stood, annoyed._

_Oh, the irony._

_And what a liar he was._

_"What're you suggesting?" Usami snapped, annoyed. "That I fuck you instead?"_

_"If it'll get you to quit whining, and moping, then it's worth a shot." Hiroki muttered, taking advantage of the opportunity that may never present itself again. _

_He waited for a response, but Usami didn't respond. He didn't move to leave, nor did he make any move at all, he just stood there, seeming to contemplate the idea._

_Hiroki took advantage of his hesitation, as well, heading over to a seemingly perturbed Usami, slowly removing his tie and tossing it on the bed. _

_Usami hesitated for only another moment, before heading over to the bed, tossing his jacket and sitting down. He wasn't sure of his own actions, but he wasn't going to reject his friend if he really thought this would help._

_It's not like he enjoyed living every day, knowing his relationship with Takahiro would never advance past that which it had already become._

_His love would never be returned; maybe it really was time to move past this…_

_Hiroki stood before him, undoing the button on his own jeans and unzipping them, letting them fall to the floor._

_Usami's eyes narrowed on his friend, who stepped out of his pants and boxers, his shirt leaving the rest to imagination, since it hung at his thighs, covering his nether regions… for now…_

_Picking up the discarded tie, carefully, he draped it around Usami's eyes._

_"What're you doing?" The novelist asked, nervously._

_"Just cover your eyes," He could hear Hiroki, whispering softly in feigned gentleness. "Pretend I'm your precious 'Takahiro' of whom you love so dearly." _

_Usami closed his eyes, hidden behind the blindfold anyway._

_He felt his own pants being unfastened, and his cock tensed at the touch of a foreign hand. It was pulled carefully out, and stroked a couple of times, which is all it really took to get him hard._

_He wasn't sure if this would actually work, or whether or not it was okay to do this type of thing with a friend, but maybe what Hiroki was saying was right…_

_Maybe all he had to do was have sex, and he'd be able to pretend it was Takahiro from now on… he could never have Takahiro, so perhaps he should resign himself to this…_

_He felt his unprepared dick penetrating a hot tightness that could really only be one thing…_

_Usami didn't know why Hiroki hadn't bothered to use protection, or lube, but he trusted his friend to know what he was doing…_

_No, no no… it wasn't Hiroki, it was Takahiro…_

_Takahiro… Takahiro…_

_He grunted as he felt the tip of his cock nudge Hiroki- no, Takahiro's prostate, and they both let out soft moans._

_Slowly, one of his hands came up to weave into Hi- no! Takahiro's hair. His other found Takahiro's waist, and he began guiding him up and down, breathing heavily as 'Takahiro' rode him, obviously pumping his own dick as well._

_He hadn't had sex in a long time… this fact, coupled with these current fantasies of actually making love to Takahiro made it easy for him to orgasm pretty fast…_

_He raised his other hand to 'Takahiro's face, too, caressing his cheeks, lovingly as he grunted a final time._

_"…ro…" He gasped, softly. "…hi…ro…"_

_Hiroki's eyes shone with unshed tears of happiness.…_

"_Takahiro…" Usami gasped, softly…_

_After shooting his load up his friend's ass, he panted heavily. Orgasm gone, he now felt a wave of guilt crash over him. He'd done it with another man… a man who was not Takahiro… no matter how hard he tried to fool himself…_

_His body had enjoyed it… but that only made him feel tremendously worse inside._

_His head lowered and he soon felt Hiroki's touch, his hands coming up to caress his cheeks._

_He didn't want his touch…_

_"I'm sorry." _

_…But his words were, if nothing else, comforting._

_"I'm sorry… This was my fault. You should harbor no guilt, Akihiko…"_

_He didn't need to say anything, Hiroki slowly slid off of him, made some noise, and then pulled the tie off of his friend's eyes, sitting next to him._

_"I have to go." Usami muttered, taking it with him as he headed out, grabbing his clothes on his way._

_Hiroki only watched, a stoic expression on his face until Usami was gone… _

...

Usami frowned at the memory. He'd felt terrible after that… He had tried confronting Kamijou about week later… He'd heard from the bar tender at the bar they had frequented at the time that Hiroki had bought enough sake, and other random forms of alcohol, to last him a couple of days… He'd thought nothing of it before, since Hiroki seemed to enjoy drinking…

Now he realized he'd probably been trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol… but when he went to confront him, Kusama Nowaki had been there. He'd pulled Hiroki to himself and declared that he would take care of him from now on…

He dismissed those events after that; assuming Hiroki had only done it because he had been annoyed with Usami's whining…

He had even been a little angry at him for having suggested it, though he'd never confronted him about it.

How could he be so stupid? So blind?

"Usami-san?"

He blinked, glancing at the door, where Nowaki was standing.

"Hey." He muttered, turning back to Hiroki, who was still sleeping.

"When did you arrive?" Nowaki inquired, rather bluntly. "Did you two have time to talk?"

"No, he wanted to wait for you, but… the nurses gave him something- a shot, to help him sleep, so… isn't it something we can discuss in the morning?"

"We can keep putting it off, but nothing will be resolved that way."

"You saying you wanna wake him up?" Usami huffed.

"Of course not. I'm simply implying that we need not continue- or… make it a habit of putting it off."

"It's okay, I'm awake anyway…" Kamijou muttered, turning over and wincing, turning back onto his back.

"Ah- Hiro-san!" Nowaki hurried over, adjusting his lover's pillows so he could sit up a bit more comfortably. "Try to avoid putting pressure on your abdominal area, Hiro-san."

"Yeah, I figured that out, thanks."

"I told you before, sixteen times!"

"This time I'll remember."

"You've said that seventeen times, now!"

"I'm tired, okay?"

"What's this?" Nowaki blinked, pulling the panda out from beneath he covers. "Hiro-san…"

"Where'd you get that?" Usami asked.

"Ah, Miyagi-Professor must have brought it with the clothes-" Nowaki began, but was interrupted.

"I mean, is it a trinket from America?"

"Ah, yes… I picked it up while in America."

"It's an export from Japan." Kamijou interjected, showing Usami, whose eye twitched.

"Alright, Hiro-san… if you're feeling up to it, let's go ahead and talk, now." Nowaki suggested, pulling up another chair.

"Ah, I didn't realize this was contingent on whether or not _**I**_ felt up to it." Kamijou muttered, sarcastically.

"If you don't, then we can discuss it another time." Nowaki reassured him.

"I don't know what exactly needs to be said..." Kamijou muttered, already struggling with the confrontation. Where to even start? "But I know this needs to be taken care of… now is probably the best time… so let's just get it over with…"

"…Take your time, Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled. "And if you don't want to tell me, I understand, but I-"

"I fucked your boyfriend up the ass when we were both twenty two, before he had even met you, because I was in love with a man who we both knew would never return my love." Usami muttered.

The room went dead silent for a moment.

"…F…f…fu…" Nowaki struggled with the word, uneasily, obviously unhappy with the revelation.

"I seduced Akihiko, because, as you know… I was very much in love with him at the time…" Kamijou tried to elaborate with an annoyed sigh and a glower at his suddenly straight-forward childhood friend.

Usami's eyes narrowed. So his assumptions had been correct. Hiroki had been head over heels in love with him…

"But," Kamijou continued with a frown. "…my love for him died that day, that time."

"…Did it?" Nowaki frowned. "…That day he showed up during our tutor session… you still seemed very hurt."

"I was still recovering from a broken heart. That doesn't mean it still longed for Akihiko… I gave up on him that day, like I said." Kamijou stared at his hands.

"…Why?" Nowaki asked.

"Why?" Kamijou smiled, sadly. "Because I realized my feelings would never be returned…"

Kamijou was quiet for a moment, but both men could read his face, which elaborated:

'And because I had been… very… very badly hurt that day.'

"…_ro… hiro… Takahiro…"_

Usami's eyes narrowed, understandingly, before lowering to the floor, ashamed.

"In any case… the truth is… right now… Nowaki, you're the one I… the one I love."

Nowaki smiled, lightly, relieved to hear those words.

"Nowaki, you're the _only_ one I love… I can even say it in front of my best friend, and first true love… so please… accept and acknowledge my feelings… and don't worry about this anymore… I won't, either…"

Nowaki wanted to believe his lover's words with all his heart, but this had to be a last confrontation regarding this matter, he had to be absolutely, doubtlessly positive that there were no residual feelings between either of the two men. Friendship was fine, but he absolutely would not share Hiro-san's heart with anyone else.

"Hiro-san," He began, but apparently Usami felt the same way.

"Then why did you spend five or six hours in the rain, getting injured and sick, mulling over it?" The other man snapped.

"…" Kamijou sighed. He should have seen that one coming… "…I guess… because things had never been resolved… having to face it again, out of nowhere, just left me with mixed feelings…"

"Mixed feelings?" Both seme asked.

"…I think it was just… when I found out you got over Takahashi Takahiro, and moved onto his brother… it left me with a lot of mixed feelings… Even though I love Nowaki, and I'm over you… I couldn't help certain thoughts from swimming through my head, like… 'If he could so easily fall in love with someone else, why, at that time, couldn't it have been me…' or, when I thought about him using Takahiro's little brother as a replacement, I felt bad or him; thinking… that I didn't want him to end up being used by Akihiko and because all of those stupid, petty, shallow thoughts swam through my mind, I began to feel even worse… for thinking them… and for feeling those different ways, when I'm happy… it's like I… I guess maybe… because Akihiko had hurt me, there was part of me that bitterly wanted him to understand how I had felt at that time… maybe even wanted him to feel that way so he _could _understand… not because I'm vindictive… but because I never wanted anyone else to feel how I did; at being used by Akihiko as a replacement for the man he _really_ loved."

"…Hiroki…" Usami frowned.

"…And the other part of you?" Nowaki urged.

Kamijou sighed. "I guess there was a small part that was jealous… but it's not a matter of choosing between you two, and even if you were both available, my heart would still long only for Nowaki…"

"…Good, because there is absolutely no way we could ever possibly be together. I love Misaki." Usami stated, bluntly, and Nowaki killed him in his mind for attacking his lover so directly.

Kamijou took a moment to stare at his own hands before he smiled up at Usami.

"You've never been quite so direct with me before today. Honest, yes, but never direct… thank you."

"From what I hear, this guy is direct enough as it is." Usami muttered, gesturing to Nowaki. "And that's what you love about him."

"Eh?" Nowaki perked. "Where did you hear that?"

"From the drunk Hiroki."

"BAKAHIKO!" Kamijou fumed.

"Don't deny things you say when you drink or stop drinking. Anyway… Of course I love you." Usami snapped.

Both men directed their full attention to him.

"You're my dear friend, and I hate that you suffered as I did… the pain of unrequited love… I'm sorry. I'm sorry you suffered because of me… that was the last thing I would ever want anyone to go through, and I do love Misaki. I won't let him ever feel that way, either. I'll love him a hundred times more than Takahiro- I'll only ever love Misaki. I'm sorry, Hiroki."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about." Kamijou muttered, finally, looking away. "…I was the one who never expressed my feelings directly. That… is really going to change from now on… and… I guess while I'm starting strong, I should admit that… what you just said… about Takahashi Misaki… it made me happy…"

"So now that everything is settled… is there anything else you need to say or that you need me to say for closure?" Usami asked. "Or you?" He directed his attention to Nowaki.

"For me, all I want to hear is… just that the past is in the past…" Kamijou muttered, "and that things can continue going on the way they always have; that all of that old stuff won't affect our current relationship as friends… and that, no matter what, you'll always bring your stories to me first-! **Because I found out about that one book, you think I wouldn't recognize your writing just because you do it under another name?!**"

Nowaki's eye twitched a bit as Kamijou glowered at his friend.

"What book? I don't know what you're talking about. I have no names other than my own and Yayoi-"

"Lie. I know this is your writing!"

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Nnniiih. I'll show you tomorrow." Kamijou folded his arms, annoyed. 'Bastard.'

"Fine, but you'll just be embarrassed when you realize it wasn't my work!"

"Excuse me, but I have something I want to hear." Nowaki interrupted their trivial spat.

"What's that?" The two looked at him.

"It's just that somehow, I don't feel that this is the end of it… is that really all that happened? And you both regretted it?"

"I'm pretty sure Hiroki didn't even cum." Usami thought back. "Not that I could see-"

"I didn't!" Kamijou flushed madly. "How do you expect me to come after breaking my heart?!"

"Well… I was _hoping _that since I'm so _attractive-_"

"Nope. No dice." Kamijou shrugged with a smirk and Usami glowered at him. He supposed he owed Kamijou that one, since he was the one doing the rejecting here, and back then as well… yeah… he should just drop it and move on…

Still, as has been explained before, old habits die hard…

"So you're saying it was _my _fault?" He huffed.

"It has nothing to do with your **lack of attractiveness**, or your **lack of personality**, or that you were pretty much **a cold fish in bed**,"

Usami's cigarette dropped from his lips.

"It was just the simple fact that my heart had been ripped right in two." Kamijou continued, with a smirk, "None of those other **FACTS** were even taken into consideration, I assure you."

Usami decided he liked drugged-up Hiroki even less than he liked drunken Hiroki. There would be _so much_ kink in his next Junai Egoist novel…

"…How long do you want to stay in this hospital, you bastard? I can help you to spend a long long time here, with your precious boyfriend, if you want." Usami snapped.

"You wanna hit a sick person?! You're the lowest of the low!" Kamijou huffed, pointing at the machines he was hooked up to and gesturing to his panda band-aid, which Usami promptly poked, eliciting a yelp from the other man.

Nowaki sighed. He was fundamentally unconvinced when it came to Usami, but he decided to give his lover's friend the benefit of the doubt. Sighing, he reached over, ruffling Kamijou's hair. "My break is over, Hiro-san, I'm going to go tend to some patients. I'll check on you in the morning, alright?"

"Oh…" Hiroki looked up from trying to bend Usami's finger backward, "Okay, your break is over? Have you eaten?"

"I'll take my lunch in here, too, but you'll surely be asleep by then. I'll eat at that time."

"If you have any time, why not eat now?" Kamijou asked, frowning.

"I don't-"

"Please?" The brunette asked, gesturing to the counter that his flowers, card, grocery bag full of his belongings, and a bag of hamburgers was settled on.

"…" Nowaki, unable to resist Kamijou at any time, found it even harder to resist his lover's exhausted pleas.

He took a hamburger and sat beside his lover again. "Hiro-san, would you like to try drinking something?"

"My mouth and throat are dry, but… I'm just going to go to sleep in a minute… I can feel it coming onto me, really heavily… or whatever… so if there were any complications, that wouldn't be any good… I'll try when I wake up. Wake me up when you come back?"

"I won't make any promises. I can't even wake you up at home in the mornings on a normal day, Hiro-san, and with the drug-"

"I'll wake up."

"Baka Hiroki, you need your rest you know." Usami huffed.

"…I know… but I also want to be awake when Nowaki is here."

"I'll do what I can, Hiro-san." Nowaki mumbled from around his burger. "But no promises."

"I guess, once again, my love isn't being returned." Kamijou mumbled, resting his head into the pillow and clinging to the panda under the covers.

Nowaki gawked and Usami snickered.

"Alright, I'll be sure to wake you up, but if you don't wake up on your own, I'll bear no responsibility!"

"I'll sleep a bit, too." Usami told Nowaki. "If there're any changes, I'll come find you."

"He should be alright, but thank you." Nowaki muttered, obligatorily, heading out. "Keep a good eye on him… you might not want to smoke in here… there's a camera. Watching. Your. Every. Move."

"…Understood." Usami muttered, snubbing out his cigarette after picking it up off of the floor.

-..- . -..-

Miyagi stared at the wall in front of him, trying to lay as still as possible so his lover wouldn't sense that something was amiss and wake up or remain up, unsleeping, like he was.

After nearly half an hour of lying there, quietly, he finally inhaled, softly, shutting his eyes. His mind was racing and just wouldn't stop. He turned over to pull Shinobu closer, but he froze when the face he turned over to see was staring right back at him.

"…Shinobu, can't you sleep?" He asked, quietly.

Shinbou shrugged a little. "…Not really…"

Miyagi reached up, running his fingers through Shinobu's hair, gently, trying to coax him into sleeping, but to no avail. It seemed the boy felt as stressed as he did.

For about five, he lay there, weaving his fingers through Shinobu's hair, watching him blink, randomly, his long lashes seeming to get heavier and heavier every time he did so; his eyes narrowing more and more after every blink, until the boy caught himself, trying not to fall asleep.

Watching him warmed Miyagi's heart. He was so cute… little bastard; struggling not to fall asleep, probably not until he did.

"I'm sorry, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi sighed, at long last. "…If… for any reason… my becoming so deeply involved in the recent events has made you feel neglected-"

"Don't worry over petty things, I'm not a kid, I understand the severity of the situation… and stuff…" Shinobu muttered, annoyed, but in truth, he did wish Miyagi would be as direct and involved when it came to these recent events regarding Risako, rather than focusing so hard on that damn associate professor who was too stupid to even take care of himself properly…

Also, he really got the impression that what had been said between Risako and Miyagi wasn't exactly what Miyagi had made it out to be… why wouldn't he look at Shinobu when he'd first entered the room?

Why did his gaze keep shying away while she was there?

Miyagi wouldn't have lied to him, or kept things from him, would he?

The whole situation was really bothering him, but if he told Miyagi…

No, that was out of the question… he would just look needy and self-centered while everything else was going on, and he couldn't stand the thought of looking anything less than perfect in his lover's eyes…

He sighed again, pulling closer to Miyagi from under the thick comforter. Slowly, he leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Miyagi… I know I've… been acting a little selfish… I'm really glad your… friend… is okay."

"Who?" Miyagi asked, stupidly, his mind obviously somewhere else.

". . ." Shinobu pulled away and turned over, shaking his head, annoyed.

"…What?! Oh! Kamijou- ooooh, you're apologizing for being so selfish, I get it!"

"You're a bastard. Don't touch me, get away from me."

"Shinobu-chin, that's so mature of you to say… and admit it! You _**do**_ care about others!"

"Of course I care about others." Shinobu snapped. "I am a good person!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Miyagi whispered huskily into his ear as his hand moved to slide along the teenager's thigh, resting on his hip. "You're very good…"

"…Mm…" Shinobu blushed lightly, obviously still aroused, and he glanced into the direction of the bedroom.

"He's asleep." Miyagi whispered, kissing Shinobu's ear. "Like you should be."

"After ignoring me, you're going to neglect me further?" Shinobu asked, rolling over on top of his lover. He no longer cared about appearing needy or self-centered… He was who he was, and he cared about others; what was wrong with wanting to be held by the person you loved, anyway?!

"Shinobu-chin, seriously…" Miyagi glanced toward the room and Shinobu grabbed his lover's chin, turning his head back to face him.

Miyagi smirked at the aggressive uke who was seemingly trying to top him, and he shut his eyes when Shinobu leaned down for a kiss.

He felt his lover's hands slide up his shirt, then back down to the floor to support his weight as he began grinding his hips against his seme's.

"Shinobu-chin…" Miyagi broke their kiss, grunting and trying to look at the room.

"Quit paying attention to everyone but me. You're such a slow learner…" Shinobu admonished.

"Heh, just because you don't have to work hard like the rest of us when it comes to studying or getting good grades doesn't give you any right to make such a remark." Miyagi snapped. "I'll teach you some respect." He turned them, pushing Shinobu to the floor and rolling his shirt up to his collarbone, covering the left of his lover's chest with his mouth and playing with his neglected nipple with a free hand, the other weaving into the teen's hair.

He had chosen to reply to the latter of what Shinobu had said, pointedly avoiding the subject of neglecting him, and proving his point in doing so…

Shinobu didn't seem to mind as he bit back a moan, clamping his hands over his mouth and glancing toward the room.

"What do you want to do?" Miyagi whispered with a smirk. "Move it to my place?"

"…Let's just be quiet." Shinobu whispered, raising his hands to Miyagi's face.

"I can be quiet, but are you up for the challenge?"

"Shut up."

"What'd I tell you about respecting your elders, you brat?" Miyagi tweaked a nipple and Shinobu whimpered, wrapping his legs around Miyagi's waist and bucking his hips upward into him.

At first he thought Shinobu was just expressing eagerness, but when he found himself on his back again, Miyagi knew he would have to start thinking twice about trusting the rambunctious teen in bed again.

Shinobu swallowed, nervously, taking Miyagi's wrists into his hands and pressing them into the polished floorboards. He started sucking on Miyagi's neck as he rolled his hips over his lover's, grinding their dicks together through their respective pajama bottoms.

"Mm… Shinobu-chin… your current behavior wouldn't have anything to do with those novels Usami-san gave you, now would-?"

Miyagi was cut off as his lover's mouth covered his in a series of hot, wet kisses.

After a moment, the teen had to pull back for air, and when he did, he reached down between both of their warm bodies, rubbing the bulge in Miyagi's pants before rolling his fingers around in circles on his own.

Swallowing again, and shooting one last glance toward his room, he sat up, straddling Miyagi and raising up on his knees for a moment, sliding his own pants to his thighs.

"Wait, wait." Miyagi whispered as Shinobu got up again, tugging at the waistband on Miyagi's.

"I can't wait." Shinobu mumbled, laying back down over his lover and rolling his hips over his, again and again.

Miyagi groaned softly as their cocks rubbed together, over and over.

Their breathing became labored and they tried quieting their mouths by occupying them; kissing fervently and stifling any moans that might escape.

Shinobu reached down to touch himself, but Miyagi caught his wrist; then the other when Shinobu reached down with that one, sliding his hands up his lover's and lacing their fingers together.

Shinobu continued bucking his hips, muscles tensing from having to support himself in mid-air, with only the use of his knees and Miyagi's hands to hold him up.

After a moment, their breathing hitched and both men climaxed, cum splattering against both of their stomachs. Panting, they both turned, simultaneously, to glance into the direction of the bedroom, but Misaki hadn't left his room.

Shinobu sat up, slowly, straddling his lover once more, this time he touched a finger to his navel and drew it up and away from his skin, watching as a small line of goo strung from his torso to his finger, then broke away. He made a face.

"You're the one who instigated it." Miyagi snapped with a satisfied smirk.

"Who knew two people could get off on just rubbing against each other…" Shinobu noted, and Miyagi snorted.

"A lot of people know that, you inexperienced little-"

Shinobu glowered before gawking as Miyagi reached for a pack of cigarettes. Shinobu intervened, snagging them (with his other hand, mind you), and stood.

"We can't stay in these clothes." He reminded his lover, gesturing to their messy pants. "…or do you want to explain these stains to Takahashi?"

"Mm…" Miyagi shrugged. "I don't mind giving the birds and the bees speech. I'll probably never get a chance to tell it anyway, but actually, I think he already under-"

"Mi.ya.gi."

"Alright, alright." Miyagi adjusted his pants and, with the help of his lover, he got to his feet and draped himself over the teen, pretending to be too exhausted to walk.

"Who is the seme here?" Shinobu muttered, annoyed as they made their way quietly out the door- or as quietly as Shinobu could while practically dragging a suddenly playful Miyagi about.

-..- . -..-

Usami woke with a start at the feeling of something vibrating in his pocket. Annoyed, he glanced about, wondering where the hell he was and who had kidnapped him. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of his crazed fans abducted him… Though he always kind of figured it would be Hiroki- he could definitely see the man bashing his kneecaps in with a sledge hammer, anyway… though he might even do that just for fun…

Wait… Hiroki… Hiroki…

Then he noticed Hiroki snoozing quietly in the hospital bed beside him and he jumped slightly, before recalling the previous events.

'Oh yeah…'

Sighing, softly, he lit up a smoke, not caring at all about the camera that was watching him. He reached over, ruffled Hiroki's hair, and whipped out his cell phone, checking to see who had texted him; knowing it could really only be one person.

When he opened the message, it read:

_Have you resolved everything? I'm restless in bed… I'm sorry… I want this whole thing to be over as soon as possible…_

_I love you._

The message had been sent about an hour ago… odd… how long had the phone been vibrating in his pocket? Why did it take that long for it to wake him up? … That would probably explain the woody, though…

He read over the message again, smiling lightly at the last part.

Inhaling deeply, he decided that it would only be fair to Misaki if he really did put an end to all of this. He glanced at the door, which was only open a crack, before heading over to it and closing it all the way, locking it shut.

"Hiroki." He muttered, but received no reply.

In fact, Hiroki's sleeping pattern didn't change at all until a puff of smoke entered his lungs and he coughed a little, but still remained asleep after that.

Concerned, Usami quickly put out his cigarette, exhaling the last of his smoke into a direction opposite of Hiroki.

He reached across his friend, placing one hand on the other side of him, resting it against the mattress, and he brought his other hand to Hiroki's face, parting his lips with his thumb and forefinger.

"Has everything been resolved?" He whispered, bitterly. "I guess for me, this is the best way to find out. Please forgive me for what I'm about to do… I have to do it, for Misaki's sake, as twisted as that may sound. And it wouldn't be fair to anyone if I wasn't sure about everything I did."

He knew this was a bit unfair to do to Hiroki, but Usami had to make sure. He could leave no loose ends… he had to be positive, 100 positive that there wasn't even the tiniest bit of a chance between him or Hiroki.

"Mm…" Hiroki inhaled, softly, trying to turn his head, more comfortably, but Usami held him there for a moment, swallowing one last time before he pressed his lips to his friend's, sliding his tongue into Hiroki's mouth.

He kissed him without passion, without need or even want. His tongue circled around Hiroki's before sliding along it, but only for a moment, then he pulled away with a small smacking sound, reaching his hand up to touch his own lips…

He felt something... his nether regions were a tad more heated… maybe kissing Hiroki after having been turned on by that damnable cell phone wasn't such a great idea…

But physical aspects aside; he felt various emotions, suddenly.

Guilt… self-hatred… disgust with himself… shame…

Good. The only emotions that were felt were negative, which meant; regardless of how much his body seemed to like Hiroki, which was only to be expected, he was gay after all, his heart belonged solely to Misaki.

"Yokatte." He muttered, softly.

He sighed, sinking back into his seat and texting Misaki back.

_Everything has been completely resolved from my end. I love you, too, Misaki. Only you._

"Nowaki," Hiroki mumbled, sleepily as he wiped his mouth, disgusted. "…Were you smoking…. Or… something…" he trailed off, sleepily, turning over a little in bed.

"Sorry, Hiroki." Usami pet his friend's head, tenderly. "I had to use you one last time… tomorrow, I'll kiss you one last time; this time for your sake."

Suddenly he heard a clicking noise from behind him, and the door opened.

"Why was the door locked?" Nowaki inquired as he entered, annoyed.

Usami turned to him, annoyed, checking the clock on his phone. "..Lunch time already, huh?"

"…" Nowaki sat beside Hiroki and took his hand into his, holding it lovingly. "Hiro-san…"

"He won't wake up." Usami muttered, lighting up another smoke. "If you're here, I'm going to head to the bathroom."

"…Alright, thanks for waiting." Nowaki mumbled, kissing Hiroki's hand.

Usami grabbed his jacket. Nowaki would be here for a half an hour or so, so he'd steal a smoke outside, too.

He made his way to the bathroom, ignoring a nurse who scolded him for smoking inside, and he entered the bathroom and flicked his cigarette into a toilet before approaching the sink. As the water began running, he stared at his reflection.

He reached his fingers up to the skin under his eye, tugging gently to see if he would look less tired with smoother skin. He looked like hell, as it was. All this stress was doing him absolutely no good in any case; and oh shit…

He forgot his novel… Aikawa would have his balls for this…

He pondered, for a moment, whether or not Aikawa would be the type of human who would show compassion when hearing of his friend's emergency; though he had used Hiroki being sent to the hospital as an excuse about five times already… she probably wouldn't believe him this time, if she didn't believe him those other four times…

He groaned, running his hands under the water and splashed his face. Just how often did he use Hiroki all throughout his life, anyway?!

1- Whenever he finished a novel; he would bring it by to have him take a look, even if Hiroki had been bombarded with writing theses or work…

2- In his Junai Egoist novels…

3- Excuses for Aikawa

4- Solace when he was escaping his editors

5- Sexual partner in RPG in which he used him to replace Takahiro (but that didn't count because he was the one who suggested it!)

5- Closure just now…

6- Etcetera…

His expression grew glummer and glummer as he glared at it in the mirror. Shutting off the water, he allowed his shoulders to sag and his head to drop.

Regardless of Hiroki's current, recovering state, there was no denying, and no forgetting, that the reason the idiot had ended up here, was due largely in part to his own inconsideration…

No, that's not true… He had appendicitis, right? That had nothing to do with him…

He found himself, standing, straightening, and heading out. He'd use Hiroki two more times in the next week. First he would kiss him tomorrow, after drenching his lips and mouth with vinegar, so that whenever Hiroki even subconsciously considered kissing him or being touched by him, he would feel sick to his stomach; a good plan if he did say so himself; and then again for a novel…

This whole experience had proven to be quite stressful, and no matter how freely his usual fantasy-filled plots could flow, the realistic approach was far more touching, disturbing, and moving, so he would take from this experience, and write about it…

Maybe after he wrote it out of his system, he could write it out of his memory, and everything would be better…

He shook his head as the cell phone in his pocket went off again.

-..- . -..-

Misaki tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Usagi-san, or how desperately concerned he had looked at the hospital.

Sighing, he threw the covers off of himself and turned, his feet touching the floor. He sat there for a moment… Maybe a glass of water would help calm his nerves; Shinobu _had _insisted that he help himself to anything.

He popped his toes against the floor before standing, heading into the other room. He walked right through the living room and into the kitchen, filling a glass from the cupboard with some tap water from the sink and raising the glass to his lips, pausing for a moment before gulping it down, then filling up the glass again and carrying it with him to his room.

He paused again, this time in the living room, when he realized Shinobu and Miyagi weren't lying among the mess of blankets.

It wasn't really his business if they had something to tend to… at… three o'clock in the morning… so he dismissed the case and began making his way back toward Shinobu's room.

He froze when he heard a muffled cry. Nervously, he turned back around, looking around, eyes scanning the room for any signs of either of his newfound friends.

Then he heard it again, but it seemed to be coming from the wall. Oh, that was where Miyagi lived, right? Maybe they got tired of sleeping on the floor and decided to switch rooms… even if that were the case, sleeping here and knowing there were familiar and friendly people around, even in the next apartment over, was more settling than it would have been to have stayed at his and Usagi-san's place all alone… wondering… and waiting…

Another muffled cry caught his attention. He had learned his lesson about eavesdropping the other day, but it sounded like someone might be hurt or whimpering, so he pressed his ear to the wall to make sure no one was being hurt…

-..- . -..-

"Miyagi…" Shinobu groaned as his lover pinned him to the wall, fingering him relentlessly. "Th-the room! We have to do it in the room!" He gasped.

"I don't care to hold back any longer." Miyagi smirked, sticking out his tongue and sliding it inside Shinobu's mouth, muffling any further protests.

Shinobu groaned softly and his pajama pants slid quietly to the floor, draping around his ankles.

"Mi-Miyagi…" His brows twitched as his lover trailed his mouth down his abs and stopped at his underwear.

"Kawaii…" Miyagi ran a finger along the long bulge in Shinobu's boxers.

"Ah… don't tease me…" Shinobu mumbled, resting his hands on Miyagi's shoulders and pushing him away a little. "And we need to move to the roo-"

"Enough about the room, it doesn't make a difference." Miyagi muttered, biting the waistband of Shinobu's boxers.

"Aaah…" Shinobu watched, aroused, as his lover pulled his boxers down with his teeth. "Miyagi… that's so…"

"Hah?" Miyagi laughed, glancing up at his lover, who reached down, caressing his seme's cheek, tenderly.

"Miyagi," Shinobu's cheeks were flushed with desire, "Keep doing stuff like…"

"Stuff like…?" Miyagi blinked before smirking. "Ah, I see, you want to try some kinky stuff from those smut-novels you were reading."

"Mm…" Shinobu nodded. "…But… but we have to also be quiet, because… Takahashi…"

"Alright then, we'll try something new." Miyagi sat down and tugged Shinobu down onto his lap, kissing his neck, gently as his hand worked up and down his cock.

"Something new?" Shinobu whispered, nervously.

"Yeah, something quiet."

"Nothing quiet sounds like much fun." Shinobu mumbled.

"You're certainly hard to please." Miyagi laughed, laying down and pulling Shinobu down with him. "But I'm used to your spoiled antics by now… time to try something new."

"If it feels good, I'll try it…" Shinobu mumbled, blushing lightly. He wondered if Miyagi would try one of the things from the novels he had read today.

"Glad to hear you feigning open-mindedness." Miyagi nuzzled his young lover's neck before tilting his head up and kissing him on the lips. "Blow me."

"Eh?!" Shinobu's face flushed at the directness of Miyagi's instruction. "…You just want to keep me quiet, don't you?" Annoyed, he started sliding down Miyagi's front, but Miyagi caught him by the arm.

"Wait."

"What?" Shinobu whispered.

"You're going down backward… I want your hole up here with me."

"Mmm…" Shinobu's cheeks burned an even deeper color of red. He got up on his knees, nervously, before standing and turning around, straddling his lover's chest, backward before inhaling as though he were about to dive into a pit of fire, then taking his lover's cock, standing it up and going down on him; swallowing it whole.

"Mmmgm…mgmgmm…" He shut his eyes, trying to keep quiet, but suddenly he felt something wet and slippery slide inside him.

"Mgmmm-!! Gah-!! Miyagi…" After pulling his lover's cock out of his mouth, he panted, whispering loudly; "Wh-what're you doing?!"

"Putting my tongue inside something cute."

"B-bakaa!" Shinobu snapped, cheeks crimson.

"Get back to work, narrow-minded."

"I-I'm not… I didn't say it didn't f-feel good…" Shinobu stammered, licking Miyagi's dick again, "I-it's just that I've never… I… was surprised is all…"

"Well since you happen to be loud when you get surprised, I'll just have to stick to something you're a little more used to."

And with that said, Shinobu felt his own cock become engulfed in a warm, pulsating tightness that could only be his lover's mouth.

He groaned softly before gagging himself with Miyagi's dick, sucking on it hard, struggling to concentrate with the feeling of Miyagi's mouth on his own cock. He even tried to work his rhythm out right, timing it with Miyagi's, but he kept falling behind; he found it hard to focus on anything other than the pleasure that was building up in his own nether regions.

Then that damn finger slid inside him again and he groaned from around Miyagi's thick cock, struggling not to bite down or cry out too loudly as Miyagi continued poking and prodding, hitting that spot over and over, teasingly as he swallowed Shinobu's length again and again.

He felt his own orgasm building up, but he feared Miyagi would get mad if he had his first, so he concentrated all of his efforts on sucking and swallowing, trying not to gag, until he felt a warm gooey substance shoot down his throat. He groaned, but it was muffled, obviously and he came, too, trembling as Miyagi sucked him dry.

Shinobu rolled over onto his back, panting and trying to catch his breath.

"Aww, Shinobu-chin…" Miyagi cooed. "Your face is adorable… and wow, you swallowed it- well… most of it…" He poked Shinobu on the lip, dabbing at a trickle of cum.

"I-I've swallowed it before…" Shinobu whispered, while panting.

"When you were drunk." Miyagi pulled the limp, exhausted teen up into his hold, pulling his head to his shoulder and kissing his sweaty mop of hair, lovingly.

"…Mm… " Shinobu nuzzled Miyagi's neck. "…Miyagi…?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's get the hell out of here… the whole time we were doing it, when I breathed in through my nose, all I could-"

"The ramen, I know… it's kind of a mood-killer- but you did well." Miyagi smirked.

"Don't patronize me, you bastard." Shinobu huffed. "…We gotta get some Febreze or something…"

"I'm thinking of moving."

"Don't you dare!"

"Don't worry, Shinobu." Miyagi smirked, rubbing his hand in soothing circles on the small of Shinobu's back. "I would take you with me."

Shinobu blushed once again, the last time for the night, and he shut his eyes, sleepily. "Baka."

-..- . -..-

"You want me to do what?" Usami asked, face dead pan.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of it…" He heard Misaki's voice breaking from the other end of the line- but not from a bad connection.

"I've heard of phone sex… but I never in a million trillion years expected you of all people to ask-"

"Because we're apart right now, and I can't sleep… besides… I suddenly found myself very aroused… somehow, and I-"

"Ah, the Terrorist couple snuck off to XXX and you overheard them XXXing, huh?"

He could almost HEAR Misaki blush as he stammered, trying to deny what had happened.

"A-ah! It was… I thought someone was hurt, so I went to investi… what do you mean terrorist couple?"

"Mm, I'm just batting ideas around. On the elevator ride up, that was something the professor gave me to use as an idea."

"…Does he know he gave you this idea?"

"Alright, I'm a novelist, I think I can handle it." Usami smirked, ignoring his lover's question. "Okay, put your hand down your pants."

He heard a pause, then smirked when he heard Misaki gasp, quietly.

"O-okay… now what?"

'He's so cute…' Usami thought, locking the door to the bathroom, selfishly and leaning against it, reaching down into his own pants to rub, gently.

"…Now…" Usami smirked. "We're going to jerk each other off… How do you want it, Misaki? Slow at first?"

Misaki nodded, then, realizing Usami couldn't see him, he mumbled affirmation. "Umm, y-yeah…"

"Okay, do it slowly, then…"

Misaki swallowed, nervously, stroking himself slowly, but then picking up speed and moaning, softly. "U-Usagi-san…"

Usami smirked. Misaki wasn't very good at complying when they were having real sex. Why should phone sex be any different? "…I love you." He whispered, the smirk evident in his voice. "So I'm going to play with the back, of course."

Misaki flushed, cradling the cell phone to his ear, shrugging a shoulder to hold it there as he reached down with both hands, his right hand still stroking his cock, the other fingering his tense hole.

"Relax." Usami muttered; he knew his lover well, it seemed.

Misaki swallowed, relaxing, and his finger went in more easily.

Usami stroked himself faster as Misaki moaned softly into the phone.

"Misaki…"

"Usagi-san…" Misaki groaned, softly. "I-I'm cumming…"

"Nn…" Usagi grunted, groaning when a pounding knock on the bathroom door interrupted his orgasm.

"Aaaah…" He heard Misaki cum from the other end and he growled, cleaning himself off with a rag and snapping his cell shut, hiding it in his pants when he heard a click in the door. He zipped up and washed his hands as a man walked in, looking irritated.

"Hey, did you lock the door?" The man asked.

"Maybe, subconsciously, sorry, force of habit." Usami replied, drying his hands and heading out. The man huffed.

Usami headed back to Kamijou's room and he heard his cell go off in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked his text.

_Usagi-san, was I no good?  
_

Smirking, he texted Misaki back.

_No, you were great. I was interrupted- I love you. Good night. Sweet dreams._

He sat down next to his friend, who was fast asleep, his boyfriend gone. He opened his cell as it went off with a final message.

_Oh, sorry about that… good night, Usagi-san_

_I love you._

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Wow, a little progress- lots of smut… Hope you enjoyed it, things will get better next chapter- maybe. More developments for the 3 couples.

(1) Risako-rin… For those of you who watch such anime as Gravitation, or Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, you've probably heard –rin being tacked onto the end of a shortened name. In English, it's kind of like adding a –y at the end of a name, like if a girl's name was Rebecca, you might call her Becky to make it sound cutesie. I borrowed this from Gravitation in particular- when Gravitation's Yuki Eiri was a child, he would call his older sister Mika-rin. In TRC, Fay calls Kurogane Kuro-rin sometimes. It could be considered cute when done by a child, especially to his older sister.

(2) After watching the episode and reading the manga to figure out whose apartment they were in when they had guilty smex, I noticed the weird painting on the wall was in the flashback room AND Hiroki's apartment, so yeah, it was his place. I kinda figured, since Akihiko was the one leaving Hiroki on the bed, but I had to make sure.

**Chapter 10 spoilers: **After some cooking lessons from Misaki, Shinobu decides it's time for the Terrorists to have a confrontation of their own… but when Shinobu goes to confront Miyagi about what he and Risako really spoke about, he is greeted by an empty apartment, all of Miyagi's things are gone, and he can't get a hold of his lover… Meanwhile, Misaki and Usami are able to make up, but not before Usami forces the most disgusting kiss imaginable onto Kamijou to end the possibility of any relationship between them. Nowaki and Misaki watch, horrified as Kamijou falls victim to an achingly disgusting vinegar-kiss.

**Chapter 11 spoilers: **Shinobu and Misaki decide to participate in a car wash they'd heard about on a radio station. Those who earn up the most money win a trip to Niagara, and apparently it's Shinobu's dream to win the tickets so Kusama-san can finally marry Kamijou. (Misaki doesn't understand how it can be SHINOBU'S dream for two other people to get married, but he somehow gets dragged into the whole mess, along with Aikawa, who apparently shares Shinobu's dream of wanting two men to get married… -,- and Risako, who is in the same boat as Misaki.) Oh, and Misaki decides that too much emphasis is put on sex. From now on, he's saving for marriage!! Of course that's not going to fly.

**Chapter 12 spoilers: **After winning the tickets, (or so Shinobu claims… either way, he has them now… -.-''') he decides to make his dreams come true. He intends to give the tickets to the Egoist couple… until Usami shits on his dreams and fantasies, "taking a cold, hard dump of reality" as the terrorist puts it. Meanwhile, Hiroki is able to return home, and he and Nowaki have a tender discussion. Things are going to change between them (for real this time!)

**Extra Chapter: **Title: "Trip to Niagara Falls"

Last note: Updates will take slightly longer than they used to, probably 2-week intervals between chapters, sorry. School is getting hectic, and since it's my last semester of community college, I really want to give it my all!

**REVIEWS ARE LOVE!! Srsly- what's up with a billion hits, billions of ppl putting this story on their alert list and not reviewing? XD You guys make me cry! TT**


	10. Vinegar Kiss

**AN: **This one practically wrote itself- I finished it in one day… hope no one minds the lack of action… -,-

**Anon reviewer reply to thruruby: **You are a big fat meanie-head. How dare you put a sexy image like that into my head, and then suddenly throw PARIS HILTON at me?! The first part coaxed me into a state of false security, and then BAM! Horrible visual! XD

**Warnings: **Yaoi…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Junjou Romantica, or the Caramelldansen that is referenced at one point in this fic…

-..- . -..-

Chapter 10: Vinegar Kiss

-..- . -..-

Misaki awoke the next morning to the feeling of being shaken, violently.

He opened his eyes, annoyed, but it was Shinobu who had been shaking him.

He sighed, tiredly. "Is it morning already?"

"Yes, I woke you an hour early. You promised you'd help me cook breakfast."

Misaki groaned, pulling the covers over his head.

" You swore in blood." Shinobu added.

"I don't think I swore in blood." Misaki smiled as Shinobu yanked the covers off.

"I held up my side of the bargain, and now it's your turn." Shinobu huffed. "I want to make eggs."

"You don't know how to make EGGS?"

"I want to make omelets." Shinobu elaborated.

"Oh, that's different."

Misaki got out of bed and with a yawn, he headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his hands.

Shinobu headed into the kitchen, getting everything ready, trying to be as quiet as possible, since Miyagi was still snoozing in the living room.

Misaki came out, glanced at the sleeping professor, then at Shinobu, who raised a finger to his lips. Nodding, the brunette made his way over to his friend.

"Alright… we're not going to need that." Misaki pointed at two cabbages Shinobu had pulled out of the fridge.

"No?"

"No."

"… Are you sure?"

"Yes." Misaki folded his arms. "Do you have any peppers?"

Shinobu went digging through the fridge as Misaki turned on the stove. "We'll also need some milk. What kind of cheese do you have?"

-..- . -..-

"Mmm…" Hiroki awoke to the sound of a screaming child. Groaning, he sat up, only to wince, clutching at his stomach. He hissed, softly, slowly lying back down. "That's right… I'm in the freakin' hospital…" He grumbled, trying to focus his mind on anything other than the pain. "…Crap."

He glanced over at Usami, who also seemed to be stirring. The man's eyes opened and he looked absolutely horrifying.

Hiroki had made the mistake of waking him one time, long ago, and it had proven to be quite a frightening experience.

Once Usami seemed to take in his surroundings, his glower faded.

"How are you feeling, Hiroki?" He asked, rubbing his eye and yawning.

"…Perfectly fine, thank you."

"Yeah? Well you sound like shit… you want to give drinking water a try?"

"…" Hiroki felt dizzy suddenly, so he closed his eyes, and passed out.

"Hiroki?" Usami snapped his fingers in his friend's face, nervously, before patting him on the cheek. "Hiroki, what the hell?"

"Hiroki Hiroki, uruze…" Hiroki grumbled, annoyed, waking back up.

"Let's get some water in you…" Usami took it upon himself to tend to the weary patient, filling a glass with water and looking around for a straw.

"Want to give it to me mouth to mouth, like last night?" Hiroki grumbled, and Usami froze before glancing over.

"What was that?" The novelist asked.

"You heard me…" Hiroki raised his fingers to his mouth, annoyed. "Nowaki doesn't smoke… my mouth tastes like cigarettes."

"…" Usami sighed, finding a straw in the bag of hamburgers. "…That was for the purposes of-"

"I can figure it out on my own…" Hiroki muttered. "…But I would have let you, and Nowaki would probably have let you if you had just asked… I don't want that." He turned his head away when Usami offered him the glass.

"You should try to drink it."

"I don't want to if it's not a doctor or nurse trying to get me-"

"Want me to get Suzuki-san, then? The woman who gave you that shot last night?"

"Mm…" Hiroki made a face.

"It'll be fine… this place is crawling with doctors, if you suddenly start imploding from a drink of water, I'll get a nurse or something."

Hiroki sighed, shutting his eyes. "…That's okay. The sooner I drink, the sooner I'll have to pee, and I don't know if I can walk… my legs feel like Jell-o."

"You made it around alright last night." Usami shrugged, putting the glass on the counter and sitting back down. "…Hiroki… I'm sorry about everything."

"So what did you decide?"

"Hmm?"

Hiroki touched his lips, again, annoyed. "Do you feel better? More at ease?"

"… As far as where our relationship stands, yes."

"Good. You better tell Takahashi-kun about that."

"I intend to. Hiroki?"

"Hm…"

"…How do you feel?" Usami inquired again.

Hiroki sighed, scratching his head. "…Like I have to throw up. Also, my leg's killing me… and my stomach aches. I also have pneumonia, so my chest feels tight and I feel like I have to cough… Where'd they put my stuff? I want my cell phone…"

"I don't think you're supposed to have it in here." Usami smiled. "Need to use mine?"

"…I thought I'd call Professor and ask him to bring me something from the school before he comes by later, and there're certain questions I want to make sure he asks on the test."

"Use my cell, if you think it's that important."

"Excuse me."

The two looked up and Hiroki gawked at the man who stood in the doorway.

"Ch-chairman!!" His eyes widened.

"Good morning, Kamijou." The dean smiled, raising some flowers and a card. "The staff put these together for you yesterday, but I was rather busy, I hate to say… I just wanted to check up on you and see how you're feeling."

"…" Hiroki blushed furiously, raising the blanket up to his neck. Not only was he wearing a hospital gown, he was still holding that trinket Nowaki had gotten him.

Usami smirked, watching as the man entered and glanced at the flowers in the vase on the counter.

"Looks like you have a lot of people who really care about you… have your parents found out yet?"

"They're not reachable right now…" Hiroki mumbled, staring at the floor.

"And you have such good friends to stay with you overnight, it seems, I'm Kamijou's superior, you're Usami Akihiko, aren't you?" The man shook a smiling Usami's hand. "I think I've seen you around the school every now and then."

"Yes, nice seeing you again." He smiled. "It's good to know that Hiroki has so many people looking after him, you and that other professor, as well- and it looks like he has a lot of co-workers who also like him, somehow."

The dean laughed, softly. "Kamijou is a very hard worker, it's not surprising that a lot of people admire him… though working too hard better not be the reason you're here, Kamijou."

"No… it was appendicitis." Hiroki looked up at his boss, nervously. "…Um… and pneumonia… and… an infected wound I got on my leg from an accident a couple of days ago… and a slight fever…"

The dean stared at him. "…Wow… you should take better care of yourself, Kamijou."

"Yeah… so I've heard…" Hiroki frowned. "Sorry about this, I'll try to be back to work in a couple of days."

"A couple of days?" The dean frowned. "Why don't you just take the next couple of weeks off? Miyagi can cover for you. You were permitted to take next week off, anyway, right?"

"…I can't-"

"Kamijou." The dean folded his arms, sternly. "As an educator it is your job to provide guidance to your students. What kind of a message would you be sending if you continued neglecting your own health? Miyagi's a hard worker, he can handle it."

Hiroki bit back a contradictory argument and he nodded, frowning. "…Yes, sir."

The chairman smiled. "Good. Now you just take it easy over the next couple of days, huh?"

"…Yes sir… thank you very much…" Hiroki frowned.

"Nice seeing you again, Usami-san." The chairman handed him the flowers to set on the counter, since he was closer. "Thank you for looking after our Kamijou."

"We're good friends, of course I'll look after him." Usami nodded, staring at the odd flower arrangement. Leave it to a bunch of old, straight men to fuck up flowers.

"You better take what I said seriously and get some rest, huh, Kamijou?" The dean patted him on the shoulder and Hiroki nodded. "Try to get in touch with your parents, hmm? If I were to be the last one to find out if Risako or Shinobu, my children, were hurt, heaven forbid, I think it would hurt me very deeply."

"Akihiko can take care of that, most likely." Hiroki gestured to his friend. "She contacts him fairly often."

"Ah, so you two really are childhood friends, how nice… " The dean smiled. "Well, I'd better go; I've got a meeting to tend to in Germany, here in a few hours, so I have a plane to catch. I just wanted to check up on you before I go. Take care."

"Thank you very much."

The dean smiled, waving one last time as he closed the door behind himself.

"…" Usami smirked down at Hiroki, ruffling his hair. "You've got a lot of people who care about you- way more than I thought… and he's right you know… when your mother finds out-"

"She doesn't need to find out." Hiroki snapped, folding his arms. "You know what she would do if she did! She'd try to move in with me or some crap, I don't see why everyone has to keep patronizing me! People get sick! It was appendicitis! It's not a big deal!"

"What causes appendicitis?" Usami pulled open a pamphlet he'd found, after setting the flowers on the counter. "…Inflammation… blockage… blockage caused by buildup of mucus- eww… You're gross."

Hiroki glowered at him, flushing, lightly. "Don't select certain words and not read the whole thing!! I'll take some water, now."

"Ah-!" Usami tossed the pamphlet and took hold of the glass of water, handing it to Hiroki, carefully.

"Hiro-san, was that nice man your- aaaaah!" Nowaki entered and gawked when he saw Hiroki sipping some water through a straw. "Hiro-san! What're you doing without a proper-"

SPLURT!!

Usami stared, amused, at Nowaki, who had had water shot through a straw at him, a small water stain spattered across his doctor's jacket.

"…I am drinking water. It is not rocket science. I will not die from drinking water." Hiroki snapped, annoyed.

After a moment of silence, Nowaki sighed, placing his fists on his hips and heading over. "Hiro-san, I'm not trying to patronize you, but there are certain procedures that-"

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of the procedures, I read the pamphlet." Hiroki snapped.

"The pamphlet is just generic information, Hiro-san! Please take your health more seriously!!"

"Listen, you bastard-"

"Hiroki." Usami intervened with a sharp glare. "We're all worried about you because you're an idiot. If you don't want people to 'patronize' you, then don't get yourself into the situation to begin with!"

"Humph." Hiroki turned away, annoyed.

"…Well, it appears Hiro-san is back to his normal self." Nowaki smiled, lightly. "Hiro-san, how is your memory?"

"My memory, of all things?" Hiroki thought about it. "What do you mean?! I Remember everything perfectly well!"

"…" Nowaki glanced over at the ugly flower arrangement on the counter, heading over to it and readjusting a flower here or there, turning it into a beautiful bouquet.

"…" Usami and Hiroki both gawked at how a single adjustment managed to save the whole arrangement.

"What lovely flowers, Hiro-san, you have so many kind people looking after you…"

"…Mnyeh…" Hiroki grumbled. "…Nowaki… I'm hungry."

"How much water did you drink?"

"A straw-ful." Hiroki snapped. "And I think I handled it quite well, if I may say so myself."

"Hiro-san, I wish you wouldn't be difficult." Nowaki huffed. "When it comes to anything else, it's fine, and understandable, but this is your health we're dealing with here, it's extremely serious, and considering how many people are concerned about you, who care about you, I just… wish you'd take this a little more seriously."

"It's just drinking water." Hiroki snapped. "I drank it. I can drink more, too, but even my own stomach is growling, so… my body knows what it wants, right? Shouldn't I listen to my body?"

"That's the first smart thing you've said in two days." Usami snapped.

Nowaki laughed, softly. "Would you like me to get you something like a milkshake or-"

"I want a hamburger."

Nowaki groaned. After the previous argument, he didn't want to be the one to have to explain to his lover that his body simply couldn't handle such a thing.

"Hiroki-baka, you know something like that is out of the question- do you even WANT to get better?" Usami snapped.

"But the bag is so full…"

"Well, a hamburger might be alright… solid foods should be tolerable after we're certain he's handled the liquid…" Nowaki sighed. "I just thought something else-"

"Fine, get me whatever…" Hiroki muttered. "…If it's not too much trouble. Okay, Bakahiko?"

"Why do I have to do it?" Usami huffed.

"Nowaki is working. Besides, you should go get your laptop anyway so you can work on your novel."

"How do you know-"

"I know YOU."

"…Alright… I'll be back in half an hour."

"Thank you." Nowaki smiled as Usami headed out. After the man was gone, he glanced at Hiroki. "…Did he apologize?"

"Ngh." Hiroki scoffed. "In a typical Akihiko-like way, I suppose."

Nowaki sighed. "For a second there, I thought Hiro-san was smoking. I warned him there were cameras, why would he still-?!"

"YOU still did it, and YOU work here." Hiroki snapped.

"…True." Nowaki headed over to the counter, taking the card that had come with the new flowers. "…Who're all these men?"

"I haven't seen it."

Nowaki handed it over and Hiroki took a look.

"Ah- these are some of my co-workers from the university…"

"Nnn…"

"They're all professors and associate professors, but they're all in their forties to sixties."

"Oh, good… are all professors that old?"

"Most of them…"

"Then when Hiro-san becomes a professor, he'll be very young- you're so amazing, Hiro-san!"

"…If I keep going at this rate, I'll be fired…"

"Oh, I saw the chairman on my way in… he um… recognized me from the other day, why do you think you're to be fired? Did he give you that impression? He seemed sincerely concer-"

"I don't know… I'm just tired…" Hiroki scratched the back of his head. "And I feel like there's something important I'm supposed to be thinking about… I don't know if it has to do with work or what…"

"I asked you before how your memory is fairing." Nowaki reached down, brushing Hiroki's bangs aside and feeling his forehead. "Ah-! Your fever has gone down! That's great!"

"Oh, good. Can I go ho-"

"HIRO-SAN."

"Just checking." Hiroki huffed. "…The pamphlet says to try moderate activity… should I get out of bed?"

"The pamphlet is on post-op patients who suffer from appendicitis, but you also have pneumonia as well as an injury, Hiro-san… please just take it easy, and if you continue pressing the matter, I'm going to get upset."

Hiroki was getting upset himself; he was sick of people patronizing him and acting condescending, like he was a child who had neglected their health; it was an accident! Accidents occur every day, damnit!

"Ooooh… scary." Hiroki scoffed. "What're you going to do?"

"Give you a shot."

"…" Hiroki held out his arm. "More drugs?"

"HIRO-SAN! Since when do you have an addictive personality?!"

"… It's obsessive compulsive, and I'm working on it."

"Oh, I guess that's true…" Nowaki thought about it. "I always thought of Hiro-san as just the type who, when he loves something, he feels passionate about it… but now that you mention it, it does kind of strike me as obsessive compulsive…"

"…I prefer your way of thinking about it." Hiroki frowned, lowering his arm. "…Nowaki… I… everyone… is making too big a deal out of this… aren't they?"

"…It's not that we're trying to fuss, Hiro-san." Nowaki assured him with a smile. "…It's just that you have so many ailments, it's to be expected, isn't it?"

"…I guess." Hiroki sighed. "…But it's still frustrating."

"Well, Hiro-san… No one wants anything bad to happen to you… Maybe some of them are trying to come across as condescending or patronizing because they are upset with you… but I think the truth of the matter is that everyone cares about you, and they want to convey that by… maybe overreacting a little… to make sure you know how much you're liked."

Hiroki blushed a little, lowering his gaze to the blankets. "…Is that it?"

"I think so." Nowaki smiled. "Even your students are worried about you. Sempai is worried as well. That professor and even Takatsuki-kun are worried, and that boy Usami-san seems so fond of… he was worried, too…"

"Worried because he has a test- ah! I need to call Professor- can I use a phone?"

"Mmm…" Nowaki sighed, "Is it an emergency?"

"Yes."

"…Liar." Nowaki laughed, handing him his own cell phone. Hiroki dialed.

-..- . -..-

"Sprinkle it lightly- LIGHTLY."

"Oops…Is it ruined?"

"…That one is going to be yours."

"Ueh-?!"

"It's the best way to learn."

"…" Shinobu glowered at his pepper-covered omelet.

Suddenly Miyagi's cell phone went off.

Shinobu gasped, looking up, quickly, as the man's arm slithered out from beneath the heap of blankets, feeling around. The cell phone was just out of his reach, so he threw off the covers and answered, rubbing an eye.

"Hello… This is Miyagi…?" He looked around, tiredly before yawning. "…Mmm… Kamijou… good morning, my sweet ho… he hung up…" He looked at the phone, setting it down after shutting it off and yawning again. "What's that smell?"

"Shinobu is making omelets." Misaki praised Shinobu in the shy and modest teen's stead.

The boy blushed, averting his gaze. "It's nothing."

"Ah- Shinobu-chin, it smells good!" 'For once… Takahashi-kun must have helped…'

"It's nothing." Shinobu huffed, flipping the other omelet.

The cell went off again and Miyagi answered.

"Hello, assist professor, how are you feeling?"

_"Ah-! A formal response? This is the first time I've EVER heard you reply formally!!"_

"I don't want you to hang up again… do you feel better?"

_"I don't."_

"Oh…"

_"Professor, I have a few favors to ask. If I'm overstepping-"_

"What is it? I'm at your service… Kamijou."

_"…That's a little eerie, but I'm going to pretend I'm talking to a normal human being for once. There are certain questions for the test that I told my students to center their studies around, please make sure you include those questions on the test. I had started a rough draft and it's in my desk!"_

"In your desk? Questions to ask on the test? Got it… okay… Your first class recently changed to your second to last class, right? So I should have plenty of time…"

_"The same test needs to be given for my second class!"_

"Got it, got it, what else?"

_"There's a pile of books on my desk that I want you to bring to me."_

"The office is a pile of books. You need to be a little less vague and a tad more descriptive. Titles, colors, authors? Right side, left side-"

_"Do you have time to be playing twenty questions? My first class starts in ten minutes. You're at work right? Well take a look at the desk-"_

Miyagi's face paled. "TEN MINUTES?! I'M AT- At- At your service- yes, I'm looking at your desk!!" He scrambled about, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, drawing the office. Shinobu and Misaki scrambled about, getting ready to leave after overhearing about the current situation.

"Okay… upper left hand corner, mid upper left hand corner- half-way off the desk- ah- I'll just call again before I leave, is that okay? Th-there're some students at the door with questions…"

_"Ah- yeah, that'll be fine… thank you very much."_

"No thanks necessary, Kamijou! You get completely healed, but take your time doing it, oh? What's that, Shinobu-chin? Oh! Shinobu-chin sends his love!"

Shinobu froze in mid step, and he shot Miyagi a glower as he snapped his cell shut.

"You heard it, move move move!" Miyagi tossed the keys to Shinobu. "I'll be right out!"

"What about breakfast?" Shinobu asked.

"No time, no time!"

-..- . -..-

Misaki opened the door and paused, turning to Shinobu, who was starting the car for Miyagi. "Um… you guys haven't done it back here, have you?" He gestured to the back seat.

"Done what? Oh… no…" Shinobu turned on the radio, switching it to a station he favored over Miyagi's typical crap-music. He saw Miyagi coming and he hurriedly climbed into the passenger's seat.

_"-The winners of the car wash competition will receive an all expenses paid vacation to Niagara Falls-"_

"Hey, Shino-"

"SHHH!" Shinobu turned up the volume on the radio, cutting Misaki off. The brunette blinked, listening.

_"-Anyone who wants to participate need only call-"_

Shinobu whipped out his cell and speedily typed in the numbers read over the radio.

"…What are you doing?" Misaki inquired.

"Well-"

"Everybody situated? We're going to be speeding, so buckle up!" Miyagi snapped, leaping into the car and slamming the door shut, putting the car in reverse and speeding toward Shinobu's college.

"Tuck and roll, Shinobu-chin."

"What?!"

"Just kidding." Miyagi pulled out in front of the school. "Have a good day."

"Miyagi-"

"Sorry, can't talk, late!" Miyagi sped off after pulling the door closed.

Shinobu stared, frowning. Sighing, he turned, heading toward the school. 'Stupid Miyagi…'

-..- . -..-

Misaki frowned, staring down at his hands. "…Miyagi-Professor?"

"Hm?" Miyagi glanced into the rear view mirror.

"…Um…" Misaki blushed, lowering his gaze to his hands, "Th-this is about Shinobu… is it okay if I talk to you about him?"

"Huh? Shinobu-chin? Sure…" Miyagi replied, swerving and cutting off a slower driver.

"Um… well… the thing is… h-he kind of went through a lot of trouble to make you breakfast this morning… and… um… it seems like you and him might be going through something serious… from what I can tell by looking at him… I just… thought maybe I should suggest… that you give him a call or something... it might make him feel better…"

"…I'll take that into consideration…" Miyagi smiled. "By the way… Kamijou's giving me some new questions to throw onto that quiz… so I don't know what Shinobu-chin told you last night, but… whatever Kamijou asked you to focus on, make sure you study up on it."

"…I did… thank you." Misaki smiled.

"Don't take it the wrong way… I'm above giving out answers to students, it's just… for your situation, you've been through a lot… obviously."

"…" Misaki nodded.

"Sounded like you and your boyfriend made up last night."

"Yeah… wait, WHAT?!"

"Pfih. If you could hear us, what makes you think we couldn't hear _you?_" Miyagi smirked.

Misaki avoided him for the rest of the day.

-..- . -..-

Usami shoved open the door to Hiroki's room, freezing when he saw the man wobbling toward the bathroom.

Hiroki also froze, turning to hide his backside and blushing furiously.

"…" Usami didn't know whether to laugh, stifle the laugh that would inevitably come, or scream at his friend at the top of his lungs for being out of bed without help.

"Stupid hospital gown…" Hiroki averted his gaze, face flushing. "Did you see it?"

"See what??"

"…Good."

"What're you doing?!" Usami quirked a brow.

"Trying to take a pee."

"So you took the liquid well, huh? I got you some stuff."

"What stuff?" Hiroki cocked his head to the side, curiously.

"This…" Usami raised a book. "I picked it up in a gift shop, this," he raised a box of chocolate, "If you're bed ridden, might as well read a book and eat chocolate, and this," he raised some flowers. "Because on TV, people always have flowers like this and you only have those weird ones, and this." He drew back out of the room and pulled Hiroki's mother inside.

"GUAH!" Hiroki gawked, stumbling backward and falling on his rump, wincing.

"Hiro-chan!" She threw herself at him and he flinched, shutting his eyes in fear.

She froze, hands reached out, but not touching him. "Oh, Hiro-chan, I'm sorry, I made you fall over, and you're injured, right? Are you hurt?"

"…No." He muttered, at last.

"Oh, Hiro-chan, you should close your legs, mama can see-"

Hiroki blushed furiously, clenching his legs shut and sitting up on his knees, despite the pain that shot through his shin. "How- how did you find her?!"

Usami shrugged. "She found me. I guess she got home early."

"Poor Hiro-chan! Mama was too out of reach and you had no way of getting a hold of her! Don't worry, Hiro-chan, mama is going to invest in a cellular telephone! Nothing like this should happen with the technology that is available today! I take full responsibility!!"

"…I didn't want you to find out until I was better, no need for you to worry unnecessarily." Hiroki snapped, and his mother hugged him, carefully.

"…Hiro-chan… You weren't taking care of yourself properly… Akihiko-chan told me you were out all day in the rain…"

"What else did he tell you?"

"Is there more?!" She gasped, drawing away, fearfully.

His brows furrowed. "…No… sorry to make you worry…"

"Hiro-chan…" She took his face in her hands and pecked him on the forehead and he flushed deeply, glaring at Usami, who pursed his lips in a kissy face. Hiroki would kill him later. That or make fun of the fact that he didn't have a mother. Maybe both. Why should he be the only one in pain?

"Hiro-chan, I haven't told your father, but as soon as I do, you can expect a call, you'll surely be yelled at, but please know that papa loves you!"

"Yeah yeah… there's no need to worry, excuse me, I need to use the toilet."

"Should you be out of bed, Hiro-chan?"

"The doctor said it was fine." Hiroki slowly reached up to grab onto the counter for support, but his mother also helped him to stand.

"What doctor?" Usami snapped.

"Doctor… Tanaka…"

"Making stuff up." Usami sighed and Hiroki's mother gasped, rather loudly.

"Is it true, Hiro-chan?! Are you lying to your dear mother?!"

"The pamphlet says it's fine." Hiroki snapped. "A doctor wrote it."

"Kamijou-mama, you have raised a liar, it seems." Usami tried getting his friend into trouble with his mother.

"It seems I have!" His mother played along.

Hiroki glowered even more fiercely at his friend.

"Mama will help you to the toilet."

"THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO NEED FOR THAT!!" Hiroki bellowed. 'Please don't let Nowaki come in, please don't let Nowaki come in, please don't let Nowaki come in…'

Usami set the flowers on the counter in front of the others before placing the book and the chocolate on the bed.

Hiroki slammed the door closed behind himself and Kamijou-mama fidgeted, nervously, waiting for him to finish.

"Hiro-chan… talk to mama so mama doesn't worry!"

"Mama should stop calling herself mama." Hiroki called, annoyed. "Since Mama is becoming older and older, it's getting less cute!"

"What a cruel thing to say to your beloved mama!" She called with a smile.

Usami smiled, too. "Kamijou-mama, come sit. He's agitated enough as it is without us pushing him further. I don't want him to lock himself up inside."

She smiled, fondly, sitting beside Usami. He had let her take the more comfortable chair.

"Hiro-san doesn't change much, does he?"

"…He's trying… little by little." Usami smiled.

-..- . -..-

"No, he didn't die, I have no idea who fabricated these awful stories- does anyone have any questions relevant to the text?" Miyagi asked, eye twitching as he finished up with Kamijou's third class.

A girl raised her hand.

"Yes, you, there in the back."

"…Will he be back in time to give us our test on Friday?"

"…How does this relate to the text, exactly?"

"Well, if it's him giving us the test Friday, I'll bother to read the text, if it'll be you, I'll just study up on Matsuo Bashou."

"…Read the text. Class dismissed." He headed to the office, opening the door annoyed and hurrying over to Kamijou's desk, collecting the second test he'd put together. (He'd put together two so that the students from the first class wouldn't give the questions to the other students- as per Kamijou the Devil's personal request).

"Ahem."

"GUAAAH!!" He cried out, turning and tripping over a pile of books, and another stack toppled down on top of him.

Risako sighed, rubbing her temples. "With as much work as you're doing, I figured your entire office would be clean."

"I only procrastinate by cleaning when it comes to putting off my own work." Miyagi grumbled, sitting up and knocking as many books off of himself as he could.

He glanced at his delightful ex, who was sitting on the couch, one leg draped elegantly over the other, arms folded, a look of disinterest on her face.

"Well, I have five minutes before my next class, how can I help you? If you're looking for your father, he should be on a flight to Germany right now."

"I'm not looking for my father, and I live with him; don't you think I'd know that?"

"Right, right, I forgot." He smiled, nervously. "So what can I do for you?"

"…" She fell silent for a moment, looking to the side, thoughtfully. "…It was while he was in Germany last time that you and Shinobu began seeing each other, wasn't it?"

"No." Miyagi replied, annoyed.

"Don't lie." She snapped, glaring at him. "…When my father went to Germany for two weeks, Shinobu stayed with you…"

"That doesn't mean we started seeing each other right away." Miyagi sighed, standing and rubbing a bruise on his knee. "I didn't even decide to give the relationship a try until after your father had come back. Shinobu was going to go to Australia-"

"Ah…" A look of dawning realization crossed Risako's face. "So you were the reason he decided against it."

"Yeah… I guess you could say that." Miyagi adjusted his suit, checking his watch.

"Don't act like you don't owe me the time of day, Miyagi." Risako snapped. "…You owe me a lot more than that."

"It's not like that… I'm sure you've heard; my assistant is… incapacitated for the time being; I'm taking over each of his-"

"I don't care about that. Stop wasting my time with unnecessary things; why do you always avoid me when it comes to things that are important?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Miyagi smiled. "I avoid you altogether, even when it comes to trivial things."

A look of hurt crossed her face.

"And don't act all innocent, either." He snapped. "You're by no means any type of victim, so stop trying to come across as one who has been victimized."

"…The point is…" She uncrossed her legs and arms, climbing down and heading out. "I don't want Shinobu to end up hurting as I had… so if you care about him, you'll stop with whatever mid-life crisis you're going through and refrain from hurting him."

Miyagi glared at her back as she went to leave. Annoyed, he reached out, grabbing her by the arm and pushing her against the nearest object- which happened to be a bookshelf.

Her eyes widened as his hand came up to grab her by the chin, his face nearing hers.

She blushed, shutting her eyes, but their lips never connected.

After a moment, she opened her eyes, glaring at her ex husband.

"Is that what you want?" He asked. "Is that your aim in all this? To tear Shinobu and me apart so you can claim me for yourself? You jealous? You already said you still care about me. If you have any little fantasies still fluttering around in your head of me fawning over you and realizing how much I love you, or how much I was missing out on by giving you up, then don't hold your breath."

"…" Her eyes lowered to the floor. "…That's fine… I understand that already… but what about Shinobu…?"

"…I love Shinobu."

Her eyes widened and she looked up, swiftly. "That's a God damn lie! The only person you love is that woman who's dead!"

"Is that what it sounded like last night while you were listening in at the door?"

Her brows furrowed and she turned her head. He moved away and sighed.

"So the way you were acting with him… were you doing that because you knew I was there?"

"If I'd known you were there, at the time, I wouldn't have done what I did." He scoffed. "I found out after your little chat with Takahashi-kun."

"Why was he with you? What kind of pervert are you turning my precious little brother into?!"

"What?!" Miyagi snapped. "Takahashi is- err… that's complicated-"

"Oh, I bet."

"Shut up, Risako, you don't understand anything!" He barked, and she glowered back just as fiercely.

"Then why don't you try helping me to understand?!"

"I'm late for class."

"When is your lunch break?"

"…I don't have one."

"How convenient."

"…After school… I can spare a few minutes after school."

"When is that?"

"Six-ish."

"…Fine. I'll meet you here."

"I have something to take care of at home… please meet me there."

"…Alright."

He sighed as she left and he hurried to his class. 'I'm balancing too much shit right now… this is insane…'

He stole one last glance over his shoulder at Risako, who was walking in the opposite direction. He paused, watching as she rounded a corner, wiping away a tear. His shoulders sagged and he bowed his head, dejectedly.

'What kind of monster am I becoming? No matter what happens, I can't let stress get to me… ack! The test!' He hurried onward.

-..- . -..-

"Alright, Hiro-chan… I'd better get back before your father wonders where I've gone to- I went to go buy some chocolate and here I've been gone for nearly two hours," She giggled, holding Hiroki's hand. Her smile slowly faded and she frowned. "But Hiro-chan… mama doesn't want to leave!"

"Gugh…" Hiroki's brow twitched.

"I'll call you, alright, Hiro-chan?!"

"Sure, sure… I'm just gonna get screamed at…"

"Probably!" She practically sparkled and Usami smirked.

"Akihiko-chan, thank you so much for taking such good care of Hiroki!" She pecked Usami on the cheek and he smiled.

"Of course. He's too stupid to take care of himself."

"He is, isn't he?" She giggled, taking her leave.

"I'm disowning you." Hiroki snapped at his friend, and when Usami turned, his face was met with the book he'd gotten Hiroki. He caught it before it could hit the ground, annoyed.

"You should be happy. You got to see your beloved mother."

"Hmpf!"

"What happened to expressing how you really feel?"

"This is how I feel!" Hiroki lied, cheeks still etched with pink. He probably was very happy to see his mother, Usami thought with a knowing smirk. "Where're the chocolates? AAAH! SHE ATE MOST OF THEM!"

Hiroki's friend laughed, uncontrollably.

-..- . -..-

As Hiroki's mother made her way down the hall in the hospital, she accidently bumped into a rather tall, rather attractive young man.

"Oh, pardon me." She smiled, politely.

"I apologize, I was dazing for a moment." He smiled to her. "Do you need any help finding anything, ma'am?"

She sparkled, happily. "Oh no, I was just visiting my son… I'm relieved that he's doing much better, thanks to the wonderful people who work here- thank you very much." She bowed, politely and he smiled, bowing, too.

"The pleasure is all ours, I'm glad your son is doing better. Please also take care of yourself, and keep dry."

"Is it raining?" She blinked.

"It is… do you have proper transportation? The woman at the receptionist desk can call for a cab for you if you'd like."

"Oh, thank you very much." She smiled, happily. What a kind young man!

"That's a lovely kimono you're wearing," He complimented, reaching down into a bag he was carrying and handing her an umbrella. "Even if it's only from the main entrance to the cab, I'd hate for it to get wet, please accept this and be sure to keep dry, there are too many people coming down with the flu and pneumonia due to the rain."

"Thank you very much." She took it, eyes glimmering with adoration.

"You're very welcome." He smiled, turning and heading toward Hiroki's room.

"What a handsome, strapping, kind-hearted young man…" She turned, heading toward the receptionist. 'And a real catch, too, I'm shocked he didn't have a ring! He has to at least be engaged…'

-..- . -..-

"Hiro-san, ah- Usami-san, welcome back." Nowaki glanced at Usami with a fake smile before turning his more sincere smile to Hiroki. "I just saw someone amazing!"

"Someone amazing?" Hiroki asked, glancing up from his book.

"A beautiful woman in a silk kimono- those are rare to see these days- especially with the rain!"

". . . Did you talk to her?" Hiroki asked as Usami snickered.

"Eh? Oh, a little… don't worry, Hiro-san, she was probably in her forties or so-"

'FORTIES. SHE WOULD LOVE YOU, NOWAKI.' Hiroki thought, annoyed.

"-and besides, I love only Hiro-san!"

"Of course." Hiroki pretended to go back to reading. "Nowaki…"

"Hmm? I'm sorry I was gone for two full hours, Hiro-san, I was helping to deliver some twins!"

"That's gross. Nowaki?"

"Oh, and then I had to clean up the floor, a seven year old girl threw up; which reminds me, how is your stomach feelings?"

"That's even more gross, don't touch me, and I feel fine, but I'm trying to say something."

"Yes, Hiro-san? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine… but that woman you saw…"

"Hmm?"

"…Never mind… By the way, Akihiko managed to get a hold of my mother."

"Oh, really?" Nowaki turned a true smile unto Usami. "Thank you very much- I hope she wasn't worried."

"Well of course she was, but she calmed when she saw that I was okay."

"Oh?! She came by?!" Nowaki exclaimed. "Is she still here?"

"No, she just left a bit ago."

"Why wouldn't you keep her around long enough for me to meet her?" Nowaki pouted.

"You said you already met her." Hiroki turned a page, bored.

"…Eh?"

Usami sighed, irritated with his friend's cruel streak. "The woman in the kimono, Kusama-kun… that was Hiroki's mother."

"…"

"Oh, by the way, I picked up one last thing while I was out." Usami stood, heading over to the bag he'd set next to Hiroki's bed.

"More chocolate?" Hiroki looked up, hopefully.

"CHOCOLATE?!" Nowaki exclaimed. "You were supposed to get something-"

"Whaaat? It melts in the mouth." Hiroki huffed. "…But now I really want a hamburger."

"…Here it is." Usami pulled out a small bottle of balsamic vinegar.

"What's that for?" Hiroki blinked as Usami raised it to his own lips. Hiroki grimaced. "Ugh! Don't drink it-"

Nowaki gawked as Usami pressed his lips to Hiroki's, obviously sticking his tongue inside as well.

"Mmnn-!! Nnn-!!" Hiroki's eyes were bulging, his fingers tensed and crooked, unnaturally, as though he were going to claw out Usami's eyes, but he was too frozen to even move, a look of pure disgust on his face.

Nowaki just watched, confused, shocked, and curious, as Usami and Hiroki both tore away from one another, groaning and spitting into their hands, disgusted.

"…Um… what…?" Nowaki was beady eyed.

"WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU ASSHOLE?!" Hiroki wailed, grabbing up some tissues from the counter and spitting into them.

"I had to do it for both of us, so that if the thought of kissing the other ever crosses either of our minds, that's what we'll remember."

Nowaki sparkled. "Ah! So now you'll be disgusted with the very idea!"

"WHAT'RE YOU LOOKING ALL HAPPY FOR, YOU IDIOT?! YOU ACTUALLY APPRECIATE THIS BASTARD'S UNDERHANDED SCHEMES?!"

"Hai!" Sparkle sparkle…

"…" Hiroki glowered hard at his lover, and harder at his friend. "In any case, is that any way to treat a sick person?! For me, I was already assured that I never wanted to! If you weren't, then that's your problem! Don't take it out on me!"

"Just tying off loose ends." Usami muttered.

"We didn't need the stupid vinegar, you idiot!"

"Just like in the song." Nowaki nodded, sitting down next to the other two.

"Eh?" The two glanced over.

"The uma uma song."

". . ."

"Barusamiko-su yappa irahen de…?" Nowaki sang.

"…What ARE you talking about?" Hiroki snapped.

"Oh, he's referring to a Swedish song that's all the rage among young girls on the net, who also fancy anime…" Usami muttered. "…But he has the lyrics completely wrong."

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked. (1)

"Anyway, you know I hate vinegar, what a horrible thing to-"

"Do you want to kiss me?" Usami cut his friend off.

"NO!! NEVER!" Hiroki snapped.

"Then it worked."

"I DIDN'T WANT TO KISS YOU ANYWAY!! First, you SMOKE! Second-"

"Excuse me…" Misaki was standing in the doorway, eye twitching.

"Misaki!" Usami looked up, quickly, smiling.

"…Usagi-san… wh-what… did you just… wh-why…? What's WRONG with you?"

Usami fell silent for a moment. Was Misaki upset?

"Kamijou-sensei," Misaki approached him, bowing profusely. "I sincerely apologize for any damage Usagi-san has done."

"I don't want YOU to be the one to apologize." Hiroki shot Usami another glower. "But I appreciate it, nonetheless…"

"How are you feeling?" Misaki inquired.

"Much better…" Hiroki muttered. "Thank you for asking…"

"Usagi-san, I stopped by the apartment to pick up your laptop- ah… it looks like you already have it…" Misaki gestured.

"Did Professor give you a ride?" Hiroki inquired.

"No, I got a ride from a… friend… err, Miyagi-Professor won't be off for another two hours or so, but Shinobu and I came."

"Takatsuki-kun is here?" Nowaki blinked. "Where is he?"

"He saw a vending machine and stopped to grab some snacks…" Misaki shrugged. "…He kind of eats a lot... Dunno how he's so thin- so, Usagi-san, how goes the novel-writing? Aikawa wanted to know… she gave me a ride…"

"Ah- it's almost done…"

"You haven't touched it since arriving." Hiroki snapped, then turned his attention to Misaki. "How was the test?"

"… I think I failed."

"Mm…" Hiroki looked irritatingly pleased with this fact.

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Kamijou-sensei." He smiled, nonetheless.

"Well, I was going to try eating, too…"

"Want me to heat up a burger for you?" Misaki offered. "I know where there's a microwave. Usagi-san will accompany me."

"Huh?" Usami blinked as Misaki grabbed a couple of burgers and dragged his lover out the door.

Nowaki watched, amused, before turning to Hiroki. "My shift is over, they're overstaffed for once. Hiro-san… are you really feeling okay?"

"I am." Hiroki opened his book again.

"Hiro-san."

"You know how I must feel. You're a doctor, right?" Hiroki sighed. "It hurts like hell, but I'm not about to complain about it!"

"…Hiro-san… you're so amazing… and you know I feel that way, but still… in this kind of situation, it's very important to say exactly how you feel, because even the slightest ache might mean there were complications."

"Complications?"

"If the incision becomes infected, even after it's been stitched back together-"

Hiroki shuddered. "Can you hand me my bag so I can brush my teeth? That vinegar taste is still-"

"Hiro-san, are you listening to me?" Nowaki snapped, furiously. "Stop dismissing this like it isn't serious!"

"And you stop taking it so seriously!"

"It IS serious!"

"Your co-workers did their jobs! I'm fine! If I'm going to be stuck here and forced to relax, that's all well and good, but don't you think I feel bad enough as it is without having to be constantly reminded? I'm sitting in a fucking tiny white hospital room! I can't turn my head without being reminded of the situation; I don't need people to keep bringing it up! How are you doing, How are you doing? How are you feeling? How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Are you hungry? Are you tired? Do you need some pain killers? Do you need anything? Let me get you this, let me do this for you- I'm so sick of this! I don't need to be waded on hand and foot!"

"But… you keep having people do things for you…"

"To get them the hell out of here! I have to pretend to need to go to the bathroom just to be alone for a minute!"

"…Hiro-san…"

"It's fine if it's just you… but why does it have to be so many embarrassing people? Like I want to be stuck here with Akihiko after all that! Like I wanna see Takahashi-kun so soon… Why the hell would Takatsuki-kun even come?! It's fine if people stop by and check in on me, that's understandable, but… but…"

"…But Hiro-san… you're embarrassed, aren't you?" Nowaki frowned, sitting with him on the bed and placing his hand over his lover's.

"…" Hiroki hesitated before sighing, nodding.

"…But they don't want you to be."

"That doesn't make a damn difference."

"Well… when you think about it… Hiro-san would be in this mess if Hiro-san hadn't been a baka."

"…YOU TRAITOR!!" Hiroki bellowed, and Nowaki ducked, avoiding the book Hiroki threw at him.

-..- . -..-

"Misaki, how did you do on your test?" Usami asked as they watched the microwave.

"Notice I didn't put the paper wrapper inside. It would catch fire."

"…Brat."

"My test went well; I had actually paid Shinobu for some pointers in exchange for cooking lessons."

"Ah…" Usami smirked.

"But… I think Kamijou-sensei needed to hear some good news…" Misaki made a face and Usami laughed.

"…So why were you kissing him, Usagi-san?"

"…It was a vinegar kiss… so that if he ever imagines kissing me, he'll feel disgusted at the mere thought. He hates vinegar… actually, so do I… it was very unpleasant on both ends…" He popped some gum into his mouth. "…Misaki, I haven't had a smoke all day- you owe me quite a few kisses."

"…" Misaki smiled, lightly, glancing up at his lover. "Not in the hospital… put it on my tab."

"…Actually… there's something I should discuss with you…"

The microwave beeped and Misaki pulled out the hamburgers. "What is it?"

"…" Usami sighed. "…Last night… you asked me if everything had been resolved…"

"Hasn't it been?" Misaki frowned up at him.

"…It has, but… that last kiss you witnessed was to ensure that."

"…Oh… I see… that's alright- so long as you didn't mean it…" Misaki frowned, nervously. "…I'm not about to get jealous over… a vinegar kiss…" He grimaced.

"I think I also ruined chocolate for him, since he had been eating chocolate before that."

"Maybe you should give a kiss to Shinobu, so he can get over his little chocolate cravings…" Misaki tried to play this statement off as a joke, but he was obviously a little bitter about the idea of his lover kissing other men.

"There's nothing wrong with a little bit of chocolate in moder…" He trailed off when the two saw Shinobu walking past them, arms full of candy bars.

"…Shinobu?" Misaki turned. "Where are you going?"

"I overheard an argument going on inside Kamijou-san's room, so I didn't want to go inside… but from what I heard, Kamijou-san actually… wants to be left alone… so I'm just going to wait somewhere… I think you guys should check out for a bit, too… Kamijou-san needs his space."

"Eh?" The two blinked.

"If you don't want to, do what you want, it's your funeral… can I go home with you guys when you leave? Just until six… I was hoping for one more cooking lesson."

"…Yeah, that's fine." Misaki smiled, knowing that since Usagi-san was sort of in the dog house, he wouldn't reject the boy.

"That's fine." As expected, Usami agreed.

"I'll wait out here, then." Shinobu sat in the waiting room, watching something on the TV and opening a candy bar.

"…" Usami and Misaki exchanged looks before continuing toward Hiroki's room.

"Misaki… I also need to talk to you about something." Usami admitted.

"What is it?" Misaki smiled up at his lover.

"…I kissed Hiroki last night…"

Misaki frowned, stopping in his tracks. "…Kissed him? Like… with… or without vinegar?"

"…Without… I had to make sure there was nothing to be felt from it."

"…Nothing to be… felt…? Was there?"

"…" Usami shook his head. "…I didn't feel anything… except guilty… and ashamed…"

"…What does that even mean?" Misaki furrowed his brows, looking away, upset.

"From my end, it means I have no feelings for Hiroki, so you can stop worrying."

"Stop worrying? U… Usagi-san… why would you do that?" Misaki's eyes met his again.

"You said to make sure everything gets resol-"

"I meant by talking! Why would you… why…" He trailed off, frowning.

"…I had to make sure… you don't want there to be a shred of doubt in my mind, right?" Usami asked. "No… 'well, what if this happened…' or 'what if I had done this…?' or anything like that."

"…Don't kiss anyone else, for any reason… okay, Usagi-san?" Misaki whispered.

"I promise." Usami ruffled his lover's hair, but Misaki pulled away, glaring up at him, seriously.

"…Not even Takahiro… "

"Of course not. I already know how I feel about Takahiro, because, Misaki, I'd already explored that possibility… it was because I'd never seen Hiroki as anything more than a friend… almost like a brother… so… I promise… I have no intentions of becoming physically intimate with anyone other than you."

"…Good." Misaki's brows raised a bit and he continued into the room.

"Misaki…"

"Welcome back." Nowaki smiled and Hiroki sighed, still reading.

"Just dropping it off… there're still so many, you should eat them all before they go bad." Misaki smiled to Hiroki, who glanced up.

"There's like ten in the bag, you expect me to eat them all?"

"Yep."

Hiroki smirked, taking the one Misaki had brought. "Thank you… you might want to go look for that Takatsuki-kun kid… you didn't find him?"

"We saw him… he seemed to be under the impre- goof!" Misaki gawked when Usami poked him in between two ribs.

"He realized he had something to do, so we're going to take him home… you should be fine on your own for the night, since this guy is off, now, right?" Usami asked, gesturing to Nowaki. "Especially since only one visitor is permitted at a time… I'll pass Hiroki off onto you."

"Thank you very much." Nowaki glanced at Hiroki, teasingly as he thanked Usami.

"Yeah…" Hiroki blinked. "You guys are leaving?"

"I have a novel to finish before Aikawa rings my neck… Takatsuki-kun has some things to take care of, and you'll be expecting that Professor of yours in a bit, right? It's probably not healthy to keep having people crowd around you all the time… you need to breathe, you know?"

"Ah… un…" Hiroki nodded, blinking.

"Good night, then… give me a call if you need anything."

"Yeah… okay… thanks for stopping by, Takahashi-kun…" Hiroki turned to him and Misaki nodded, still rubbing his ribs.

"Um… before I go… can I ask you something?"

"Yeah…" Hiroki's eyes narrowed, annoyed.

"Well, this question is just eating away at me…" Misaki frowned. "And I don't know if you know the answer… but if I don't find out whether or not I got it right as soon as possible, I think my brain will explode- and I get the feeling if I ask Professor Miyagi, he'll just make fun of me…"

"Oh, it's a question on literature…?" Hiroki perked, noticeably.

"Do you know anything about Matsuo Bashou?"

"…Ah… more than I want to." Hiroki shuddered. The first week he had worked with Miyagi, it was pretty much the only thing they would talk about. "What was the question?"

"We were to determine the missing one of three of his works that had come out in 1689, the two listed were Arano and Sarumino, and for the third, I couldn't remember if it was Hisago or Saga Nikki…"

"It's Hisago."

"DAMNIT!"

A grin broke out on Hiroki's face and Misaki glared at the floor.

"Well, at least that one won't eat away at me, anymore… thank you very much…" The glum teen headed out.

"Good night." Hiroki waved a bit as the two left. He let out a sigh of relief, sinking into his pillow.

"…Hiro-san, if you're tired, get some sleep." Nowaki took the book and set it on the counter.

"…Nowaki… how was your day? … Do you do stuff like that every day? Deliver babies and clean up puke?" Hiroki asked.

"I don't usually clean things like that, it's usually the newer interns who take care of that sort of thing, but the child was embarrassed… so I offered to do it real quickly."

"…You're gross."

"I washed my hands very well afterward." Nowaki smiled.

"Mm… I think I'll take a short nap… but Professor should be coming by within an hour or two, if he calls, please answer- when will I get my cell phone back?"

"It's been here this whole time." Nowaki laughed, gesturing to the counter on the other side of his lover.

Hiroki turned to look, annoyed. His pants and shirt were also there, as were his shoes and socks that he'd been wearing the day before. "Oh."

"But he knows to call my number, so I'll keep my eyes and ears open." Nowaki reassured him.

"…Can I put some normal clothes on?" Hiroki asked.

"…" Nowaki smiled. "If you'd like, I'll help you to get dressed."

"I told you to stop trying to baby me, didn't I?" Hiroki snapped.

"I'm not. I just want to dress Hiro-san so I can see him naked."

"…Pervert."

-..- . -..-

Miyagi was getting everything together for his lectures for the following day when Risako entered, knocking on the doorframe but letting herself inside, anyway.

"You." She called, and he didn't reply at first. She glared. "YOU."

He turned. He had a bunch of paperclips in his mouth.

"Ugh… you're such a dork…" She averted her gaze as if trying to maintain a somewhat respectful image of the man that was once her husband, refusing to permit such images as the one before her to permeate her sense of reality.

He grinned from around the paperclips. "What? Oh, you found out…" he spat them into his hand and turned back to his work.

"Found out what?" She blinked.

"I am a robot… I eat scrap metal…" He used one to clip together some paperwork and she smiled, sitting down at the other desk and shook her head.

"You know, you would have made one hell of a Dad…"

"I make one hell of a _sugar_-daddy."

"You bastard." She huffed, annoyed, looking around. "…You seem busy."

"Kamijou's in the hospital because he doesn't understand that when it's raining outside, you should avoid angsting out in said rain… he was angsting over some love troubles… and his friend was staying the night with him at the hospital, so that boy you met, Takahashi-kun, he's Kamijou's friend's roommate, but we didn't want him to feel lonely in that huge apartment by himself, so we invited him to stay with us- there was nothing weird or perverted going on… that boy is Usami Akihiko's lover."

Her eyes lit up and she turned. "Usami Akihiko?! The novelist?!"

"…" 'Oh shit… oops…? Well, might as well be honest with her… for once… I suppose I owe her that much…'

"I don't know if he's out or not, so try to keep it to yourself." Miyagi snapped. "Kamijou's a homo, too, but if you say anything to your father that might jeopardize _his_ position, you'll regret it. I'm afraid for my own, in fact, or was, before you promised you wouldn't tell anyone… but fearing for my position is understandable, I've hurt you and I'm banging your kid brother… Kamijou, though, he's a different story, you haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet, so there's no reason to even bring him into this… anyway, that's why Takahashi-kun was there last night… what else did you want to know? … Hey, didn't we agree to talk at my place?"

"I was hoping to avoid it. It smells of death."

"That's what I was going to take care of… come with me?"

"Huh?" She blinked, confused.

"You volunteered to talk to me for a bit, and unknowingly, you volunteered to help me."

"I did what?"

"You signed in blood."

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING OF THE SORT!! Tugh, you got that from my brother, didn't you?" She rubbed her temples as she followed him out of his office and toward his car, "Wh-what am I helping you with?"

"It's a surprise- a surprise! A happy surprise."

"…Ugh…" She groaned.

-..- . -..-

"…When did you and Shinobu… start seeing each other?" She folded her arms as she entered his apartment, immediately grimacing at the horrible smell.

"…After your father got back… that day he decided not to go to Australia was the day I told him I was willing to give the relationship a try… I told him I'd try to love him… I didn't even have to try… he completely…" He trailed off.

"…Completely?" Her eyes narrowed. "…Go on…"

"Whenever I'm not thinking of anything, I'm thinking of Shinobu… hell, even when I'm supposed to be concentrating, my thoughts shift to those of your brother… I've become completely smitten, completely infatuated with him… That day I called and he was obviously ignoring me… you answered the phone…"

Risako listened, a bit jealously. Miyagi never sounded so passionate- or passionate at all, in all the three years she'd been married to him- except when he was discussing work, of course…

"I remember… he told me to tell you he wasn't there." She nodded.

"…He'd seen the picture, as you'd assumed… " He handed her a box he had just filled and grabbed one of his own, ushering her out the door and following her.

"Oh, he asked if I'd seen it and who the woman was in it, since it wasn't you- he asked if you'd been married before… so he did see that picture? I see, now, why he was so understandably upset…"

"I was thinking so much about Shinobu-chin that I'd completely forgotten about her death anniversary…" He put his box in the back of his car and then took hers, setting hers down beside it.

Risako's eyes widened. In all the years she'd known him, he'd never once forgotten that day; it was the only day she knew him to ever request off of work, and he would spend the entire week prior to that date stressing to make sure everything was in order for him to go…

"…So in front of sensei's grave, I took Shinobu by the hand and apologized to sensei… and I told sensei I'd fallen in love with that brat…" He finished stacking tomorrow's papers together and he stood, pushing his chair in.

Risako watched, sadly, as he reentered his apartment, filling up another box. "…So you… you're really in love with Shinobu?"

"Yes." Miyagi replied, without hesitating, handing her the box and grabbing a box full of books in one hand, his plant in the other. "Shinobu-chin is everything to me."

"…I guess that explains why he moved in next door… so… based on what I heard last night… I assume you two to be… active… s-sexually active…" She walked carefully down the stairs.

"…" Miyagi held his plant up to cover his face, as if he were hiding from her. "…He came onto me."

"…No doubt." She frowned. "…I can understand him coming onto you- you're very…" She fell silent. "And he's…" She made an annoyed face.

Miyagi laughed at her odd range of thoughts. "Risako… I haven't taken your feelings into consideration… from the day we met… I was always cruelly keeping you at arm's length… it must have been very painful… knowing I wasn't even _trying _to get over sensei… knowing I married you unfairly, with no intentions of giving you even a small piece of my heart…"

Risako's eyes flooded over with tears. "…Y-you mean… you acknowledge it?"

He nodded, taking the box from her and putting it in his car after his plant.

"…These last couple days… I guess you could say I've been dealing with a lot of people who are going through this whole… unrequited love thing… and to be honest… this has been the first time in… well… it was the first time ever… that my thoughts… were on you most of the time…"

"You were thinking of me?" She whispered, flabbergasted.

"Yeah… because… I sort of knew from the beginning, that I wasn't being fair to you… but since you had that other guy since before we even married… I figured you were okay with it… that you just wanted some big-shot husband… and I guess I figured a trophy-wife wouldn't hurt to have around…"

Her lips parted and she smiled, releasing a small laugh. "Who says you're such a big-shot?"

"You're not exactly a trophy wife." He shot back with a smile, closing his trunk.

"…" She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "…Well… despite everything you said, you still owe me something."

"…I'm sorry…" He apologized, taking her hand in both of his and rubbing the top with a sad smile. "…I didn't mean to hurt you… and I'm very-"

"Not that." She huffed, turning her head. "There's no way father can find out- I have absolutely no idea how he would take such a thing… so… instead, it should be me you ask… to take Shinobu from… not that I'm not aching to get rid of the twerp…"

Miyagi frowned. "…I wish you wouldn't speak of him as though he were something to give away… he really loves you… he DOES think your whole family is just aching to get rid of him… sending him off to Australia, constantly passing him off onto other people… I'm too much of a pansy to question the chairman to his face… but I can't help wondering what he was thinking… when it came to anything revolving around Shinobu…"

"…Shinobu is hard to deal with…" She rationalized.

"That's no excuse…"

"Well, it's not like he KNEW he was passing his son off onto a PERVERT." She huffed.

"…" Miyaagi released Risako's hands, annoyed, and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. It was awkward for him at first, a familiar type of awkward, but slowly, he lowered his arms around her, smiling.

He was no longer under any obligation to feign interest in her… and he did care about her, even if only a little, and even if it would never be in the way that she longed for.

But at least now they were on equal ground, and they both understood that, and both of them could move on.

"…Please take good care of my brother."

"…" Miyagi frowned, averting his gaze. "…Yeah… There's some stuff we have to deal with, I think… don't worry, Risako… I won't let your brother be in any pain…"

Risako pulled away with a small smile. "…Thank you… and thank you for what you said."

"…" He frowned. "I'll make it up to you somehow…"

She nodded, smiling, before glancing at his car. "…Um… what're you doing?"

"Taking some stuff to storage, that's all…" He frowned as he headed back up to his apartment.

"…What happened to all of your stuff?!" She gasped, peering inside once they made it to his door.

"Hmm… must have gotten stolen or something…" He shrugged.

"Stolen?! Miyagi, what's going on?"

"Actually, there's one last thing I wanted to ask you about." He called as he headed into the apartment, opening the fridge to make sure it was empty.

"Hm?" She glanced over her shoulder.

"…Takahashi-kun said you were standing at the door, blushing and grinning… " He closed the fridge, turning, and he gawked. She was gone. "WHAT THE F-"

His cell suddenly went off and he huffed, opening it up. "Hello, this is Miyagi…"

_"Professor, it's seven o'clock, where ARE you?!"_

"Sorry, Kamijou." He frowned. "I've been a little busy… I got that stack of books you wanted, I'll bring it over, did you want anything else?"

_"Depends. Are you in the office or at home?"_

"Home."

_"No, I don't need anything."_

"What did you need from the office?"

_"I was just hoping to be able to grade some papers… if you have enough-"_

"I'll be there in about ten minutes." Miyagi shut his cell phone and hurried out. "Bastard. What's so hard about kicking back and relaxing?"

-..- . -..-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! YOU TWO WERE A MATCH MADE IN HELL!!" Misaki nearly ripped out his own hair. A porcelain bowl had exploded in the microwave, (that was the third one this month!!), the apartment was filled with smoke, the smoke detector was beeping loudly, (more like it was shrieking!), and there was something very black and very crispy in the oven.

The 'match made in hell,' that being Usami Akihiko and Takatsuki Shinobu, were standing in the middle of the blazing kitchen, watching the pan on the stove as it caught fire.

"What the hell?! I went to the bathroom, I said don't touch anything, I come back, and- and- and-!!"

Usami disappeared behind the counter, lowering down before raising, firing a fire extinguisher at the stove, and also hosing down Misaki, who happened to be standing on the other side…

"…Can we file this under 'learning experience'?" Shinobu looked up at Usami, who nodded.

"Let's."

"What HAPPENED?!" Misaki wailed.

"…He said he'd take over while you were gone." Shinobu pointed at Usami, thus passing all the blame off onto him, hurrying over to the window and opening it.

"…" Misaki sighed, toweling off before pointing at the stairs. "Usagi-san, your novel… please just go work on your novel…"

Usami headed up the stairs, obediently.

"Shinobu, please help me to clean up."

"If I don't leave now, I'll miss the last bus…" Shinobu glanced at the clock.

"Eh?"

"And you just said Usami-san needs to work on his novel, so I'd hate to disturb him…"

"…Take responsibility!!" Misaki wailed, pointing at the mess.

Shinobu sighed. He couldn't argue with that. "Alright, I'll just call Miyagi to come get me when I'm ready to go home…"

"What were we making, again?" Misaki grimaced, dumping whatever the hell had been put in the oven into a trash receptacle.

"Beef fillet with sauce, soup, and vegetable stir-fry…"

"…What was in the microwave?!"

"The soup."

"And on the stove?!"

"Vegetable stir-fry."

"…Then… that black thing I threw away… was the beef…" Misaki's shoulders sagged. "…That big beef… tossed away… you do realize there are people starving in other countries, right?"

Shinobu frowned, and Misaki raised his head, annoyed, only to notice Shinobu's disappointed look.

He sighed. "Well, it's alright, everyone has a rough time their first time- you know… when I was younger, I was horrible! With practice, you'll become very good!"

"…A lot of practice." Shinobu sighed.

"So let's get started!!" Misaki smiled.

"…" Shinobu nodded.

-..- . -..-

"I said I wanted to change before Professor gets here…" Hiroki snapped as he sat on Nowaki's lap, in the bathroom, "How did your tiny pea-brain translate that to: Nowaki, strip me and make a mess of me!' Well?!"

Nowaki ignored him, sliding his tongue along Hiroki's collarbone, then nipping gently at it.

"…Don't leave any marks- you're not the one assigned to me… I don't want your sempai getting any weird ideas."

"He already knows."

"Ugh, that's reassuring… aah…" Hiroki wrapped his arms around Nowaki's neck, moaning softly when his lover's warm hand slid up his back, holding him in a very comfortable position- considering their location. His other hand was pinching and twisting Hiroki's taut nipples.

"Mmmm… Nowa… Nowakkiiii…" He panted, pressing his forehead to Nowaki's neck. "This place is no good… like hell I wanna do it in a bathroom…"

"Hiro-san, this is the only place we can do it where there's no camera…"

"Mmm…" Hiroki leaned up, kissing Nowaki, hungrily.

Nowaki kissed him back just as fervently, but he pulled away when Hiroki touched the bulge in his pants.

"Hiro-san, we can't have sex… you'll get hurt…"

"Then why are you tempting me?"

"I just wanted to kiss you and hold you…" Nowaki frowned, leaning down to whisper into his lover's ear. "But if you thrust, or tighten your muscles due to being touched sexually, it'll surely hurt you… please… try to be satisfied with just this…" He kissed Hiroki again, and Hiroki pulled back, reaching up to touch his forehead, closing his eyes as his brows furrowed.

"Mm…"

"Hiro-san? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine… help me change…"

"…Yes…" Nowaki continued holding Hiroki like he had, but rather than molesting him, he used his free hand to undo the string on the back of the hospital gown. He pulled it free and let it drop to the floor.

He started lowering his gaze, but Hiroki cupped his lover's face in his hands, frowning.

"Don't look at it…"

Nowaki smiled, gently. "Hiro-san… it's alright… there're bandages, you know…"

"There are?" Hiroki looked down.

"You didn't feel it?"

"I didn't want to touch it…"

For some reason, Nowaki found this to be very cute. He smiled, watching as Hiroki stared at the bandages, but when he noticed Hiroki looked a bit fearful and sad, he frowned.

"What's the matter, Hiro-san?"

"…Just… that…" Hiroki frowned. "…Thinking… how stupid am I? To have let this happen…?"

"Ah- appendicitis isn't… the type of thing that… I mean… Hiro-san, it's not your fault…"

"This is…" Hiroki raised his foot, carefully, showing off his leg. The bandages started at his ankle and wound their way up, stopping at his knee.

"…It's alright…" Nowaki smiled. "You're fine now, and that's the important thing."

Hiroki sighed before resting his forehead on Nowaki's shoulder. "Nowaki… I'm…"

"Hmm?" Nowaki smiled. "What is it, Hiro-san?"

"I'm feeling a little disoriented… let's hurry…"

"Think you're going to faint?"

"Do you have to say it like THAT?" Hiroki snapped, annoyed.

Nowaki grabbed the shirt off the sink and slowly put it on his lover, letting him support his own weight. Hiroki very slowly raised his arms, careful not to stretch too far, for fear of hurting his stomach. He carefully worked his arms through the short sleeves of the t-shirt Miyagi had brought in the bag, and then lowered his arms down, pulling the shirt carefully over his bandaged stomach.

Nowaki helped Hiroki to stand, making sure the brunette didn't put any weight on his wounded leg, and he guided his lover to sitting on the toilet, (the back of the seat had been pushed down so that they could sit on it like an ordinary chair) and he pulled a pair of boxers out of the bag.

He slid them up his lover's legs and Hiroki placed his arms around Nowaki's shoulders. He placed his good foot on the floor and slowly raised up, letting Nowaki slid the boxers up over his nether regions before he sat down again, careful not to move too quickly or suddenly.

Slowly, he lifted his good foot off the floor and slid it up along Nowaki's front, then he slid his foot over his lover's shoulder, leaning closer and kissing him again.

Nowaki found himself breathless as Hiroki's leg hooked around him, and his lover's tongue invaded his mouth, longingly…

This had to hurt a little, but Hiroki gripped at his shirt, encouraging him to deepen their kiss and take control as usual.

Frowning, Nowaki pulled away, shaking his head. "Hiro-san, please behave."

Hiroki pouted, averting his gaze and Nowaki delicately removed his lover's leg from his shoulder.

"WUAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! NO!! YOU LIIIIE!!"

Both men jumped slightly, (causing Hiroki to wince, and clutch at his aching stomach), and Nowaki turned to glare at the door.

"Professor's voice…" Hiroki grumbled, and Nowaki caressed his cheek, kissing his forehead before turning and sneaking out the door, careful to close it right after he'd squeezed through.

"What the hell is your problem?!" He snapped.

"Eh-?" Miyagi looked up, looking as though he was going to break down, and sempai darted. "…I-is it true??"

"…What?" Nowaki blinked, confused.

"Th-that blonde guy said Kamijou passed away due to post-op complic-"

"SEMPAI!!" Nowaki stormed out, furiously, but Miyagi latched onto the back of his shirt.

"It's not true, is it?!"

"It's not! Hiro-san is fine! Or he WAS, before you screamed your head off and made him jerk around!"

"Kamijou!!" Miyagi ran to the bathroom, as Nowaki ran down the hall to track down his sempai and murder him. "Aaah, I'm so relieved!!" Miyagi threw open the door, happily, and Hiroki blushed, grabbing a pair of pants from the sink and covering his lap, eyes narrowed, irritated, on his superior.

"My sweet honey!!" Miyagi sank to his knees, clasping his hands, happily. "Y-you're really okay, right?! I knew it was a lie! We spoke, not even fifteen minutes ago!!"

"…Get out…"

"Wow, I thought I was seriously going to die… I never realized how much I took you for granted, before!"

"You can seriously go ahead and die."

"Kamijou… eh… Kamijou, you know you're not wearing any pants…?" Miyagi noticed, suddenly.

"Duly noted, please get the hell out."

"Hey, you're not wearing the panties I bought you." Miyagi pouted.

Hiroki's good foot met with his superior's skull, sending him flying out of the bathroom.

"…Oww…" He heard a groan from his hospital room.

Huffing, Hiroki slowly lifted his good leg, inserting it into the pants accordingly.

Miyagi reappeared in the bathroom, and he knelt down, carefully taking Hiroki's bad foot and sliding the pant leg, very very tentatively up Hiroki's shin and calf to his knee.

"Careful." Miyagi told him, gently setting Hiroki's foot on his thigh and fixing the other pant leg, which was still half way across his foot.

"I don't need your help." Hiroki muttered. "…What did he say?"

"He said there were complications and that you had passed away!" Miyagi looked furious. "…How can a doctor- someone with a degree- say something so easily?! And with such a serious face?! That kinda joke should be against the law or something!"

"I don't think he's a doctor… actually…" Hiroki mumbled, blushing and averting his gaze when Miyagi tried inching the pants up, little by little so Hiroki wouldn't have to get up.

"Stop it… I don't need your help." Hiroki huffed, pushing Miyagi's face away.

"…" Miyagi sighed, reaching up and grabbing Hiroki's wrist, gripping onto it a little too tight. Hiroki winced before glaring at his professor, only to have his expression change at the glare he was receiving, himself.

"…I don't have time for your shit, Kamijou."

Hiroki's eyes bulged.

"Rather, I have too much shit on my plate to take anymore crap from you."

"…If you need me to grade papers, I can at least do that!"

"Baka Kamijou, this week will be easy after the last of the exams tomorrow, then next week will be a breeze, you have it off, and if you come in, I'll make work miserable for you for the rest of your life, and then the following week is a holiday, so just take some time off, get better, and then I'll listen to you bitch and moan about this or that… but right now, wiggle your damn ass and let me feel like I'm being helpful in some way or another, because I'm really worried about you, damnit!"

". . ." Hiroki glared right back. "This has nothing to do with you. I appreciate you taking over my classes and helping me out, but I never asked you to, if you want to go around feeling better about yourself by involving yourself in other peoples' problems instead of dealing with your own, then that's your problem, but I'm not going to just sit around and not do anything, and keep letting other people take care of me!"

"Get over yourself! You are a major prick, but people care about you, somehow. What the hell is up with complaining about it?! And don't you talk to me about not facing my problems- weren't you the one bitching earlier about Usami-san and Takahashi-kun hanging around? Don't be such a wimp. If you guys resolved everything, then you shouldn't feel awkward anymore- Usami-san is your friend and Takahashi-kun is your student, it's not like you can avoid them, besides, what pride-filled man would even want to do such a thing?!"

"…How do you know… ugh… Takatsuki-kun must have overheard me…"

"And he texted me, that's right… to tell me not to bother showing up, to tell me you didn't want to see anyone… well you know what, Hiroki? That's crap. People are worried about you, not because they think you're a baby, or a wimp, or an idiot, but just because they care about you… so for them, and for you, get better, rest, eat, sleep, and for God's sake, relax… because the sooner you get better, the sooner you can go back to your life."

"…" Hiroki huffed, averting his gaze.

"Work with me a little, stubborn-Kamijou, lean to the side."

"Eh?" Hiroki leaned to the right and Miyagi pushed the pants up a little more.

"Sorry, I should have given you shorts or something, it'd be easier- but I was in a hurry, and all I saw in your closet was slacks and jeans."

"Yeah, because… because…" Hiroki reached up to hold his head again.

"Ah… this is going to look very inappropriate in front of the camera, but I think you better lay down." Miyagi picked Hiroki up and the man's eyes bulged as he was carried damsel style to his bed and carefully laid down.

"…There went my pride." He muttered.

"You're very light… haven't you eaten?"

"Two hamburgers, some chocolate-"

"You shouldn't be light then." Miyagi laughed, covering his co-worker with his blankets. "Squirm your pants on, Kamijou. I brought you something fun, by the way."

"What is it?" Hiroki muttered, tiredly.

"Jaa!" Miyagi raised Hiroki's laptop from work. "He missed you so much… He keeps making a strange beeping sound, every hour that I never noticed before."

"Probably a reminder of something- oh yeah… Nowaki's birthday is coming up… I set it to remind me exactly one week prior…"

"…You've been sick, but did you give our discussion any thought?"

"Discussion?" Hiroki muttered, looking up when Nowaki reentered.

"Hiro-san, I'm sorry I left you… alone… pants-less… with HIM." Nowaki shot Miyagi a glower.

"Did you find that bastard and smash his brains in?" Miyagi asked.

"I took his lanyard." Nowaki raised it.

"…That's not vengeance… how is that vengeance? Take some tips from Kamijou."

"Well I can't touch him or hurt him, he's my superior…"

"…You'd be surprised." Miyagi muttered, mentally counting the things Hiroki had done to him that had hurt… but he lost count after a while and gave up.

"Well, I have to be on my way… PLEASE tell me this is the right stack of books…" Miyagi raised some and Hiroki looked them over.

"Aha! This is the one!" Hiroki took the one, opening it. "This one is definitely Akihiko's writing… but now he's not here, so I can't show him…"

"Hiro-san, how did you get your pants back on?" Nowaki asked, trying to peek beneath the covers.

"Well, I'd better be going! You two have a good night now, take care!" Miyagi headed out, nervously.

"…" Nowaki glowered at him before turning to Hiroki. "Hiro-san?"

"They're not on all the way; I just started feeling dizzy, so Professor helped me into here…" He folded his hands. "I wonder what he meant when he said that… conversation…? I wonder if that's the important thing I'm supposed to be thinking about… I thought it had something to do with you…" He opened his laptop. "Maybe something work-related? Let's see…"

"Why would he bring that?" Nowaki pouted.

"This way, even though I'm not working, I can keep up to date with everything via e-mail, and I won't die of boredom watching horrible soap operas on the television."

"Mm…" Nowaki leaned over to see what Hiroki was looking at. He was checking his e-mail.

"…Nowaki… when the lights go off, and it's night time, please help me fix my pants…"

Nowaki smiled, lightly, nodding. "Sure, Hiro-san."

"Oh… Nowaki?" Hiroki handed him the laptop.

"Hmm?" Nowaki asked.

"…I'm about to black out… is that normal?"

Nowaki frowned. "…Why do you think-?"

"Seeing splotchy… and stuff…" Hiroki leaned back and his head sank to the side, eyes closing.

Nowaki frowned, feeling his lover's forehead. He set the laptop down and grabbed a cloth, wetting it and setting it on Hiroki's forehead. "Hiro-san, don't worry… I won't let anything bad happen to you."

-..- . -..-

"Thanks for helping to clean up… I think we'd better work on something a little more basic tomorrow…" Misaki sighed.

Shinobu looked up from scrubbing off the counter, excitedly. "You mean you still want to help me?!"

"Yeah… besides…" Misaki smiled lightly. "I like hanging out with you."

"Ah- I like hanging out, too!" Shinobu exclaimed. He didn't really have any close friends since coming back from Australia. Other guys at school found him to be generally unpleasant due to his introverted personality, (that and the fact that all the girls seemed to like him, but he showed little to no interest in them), so to have someone, and a guy at that, admit to enjoying his company was quite a picker upper for him. Especially someone skilled in the art of cooking…

"Want me to get Usagi-san to give you a ride home?" Misaki asked.

"No, I'll call Miyagi, but thank you." Shinobu replied, dialing his lover's number on his cell. He waited, but it went straight to voice mail. Annoyed, he hung up, dialing again.

"That's strange… Miyagi should answer…" He waited, and it went to voicemail again. He called the home phone number, but there was no answer. Sighing, he turned to Misaki, shrugging.

"Usagi-san will probably want a break, anyway."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

"No problem!" Misaki ran up the stairs, hurriedly. He opened the door to Usami's room and watched as his lover highlighted a large part of the text he'd written, and deleted it. "Usagi-san?"

Usami turned, blinking. "Yes?"

"Shinobu can't get a hold of Miyagi-Professor… can you please give him a lift to his place?"

"Yeah, sure." Usami replied, saving his work and standing.

-..- . -..-

Usami pulled up to a red light, stopping. "…Hey…"

"Mm?" Shinobu looked up at him, curiously.

"…You okay?" Usami asked.

"…Why do you ask?" Shinobu huffed, quickly averting his gaze.

"…" Usami flicked his cigarette out the window, and continued on when the light turned green. "Something doesn't seem right… you seem worried about something."

"…" Shinobu lowered his gaze. "…I always look like this."

"That's a hell of a way to live, if it's true." Usami muttered. "…You shouldn't feel obligated to tell me anything, but…" He pulled out in front of Shinobu's apartment. "…It might make you feel better to talk to someone about _your _problems rather than listening to someone else's."

"…" Shinobu frowned. "…It's okay… it's something I need to take care of with my lover." He opened the car door.

"Takatsuki-kun."

"Eh?" Shinobu peered back in through the window after he'd gotten out.

"…I'll be waiting here for ten minutes in case you need to come back… you put up Misaki… I'm more than willing to return the favor."

"…That's not necessary, but thank you." Shinobu headed to his apartment and Usami waited, lighting up another smoke.

-..- . -..-

Shinobu made his way up the stairs and pulled out the key to Miyagi's apartment, twisting it in the lock. He didn't know if Miyagi would be home or not… if he wasn't answering his phone, it was more likely that he wasn't home… but it's not like he needed to stay the night somewhere else just because Miyagi was working late or something. He had his own apartment, after all…

But even if he had to stay up all night, he'd wait for Miyagi. He had to talk to him. He just had to.

The past couple of days had taken their toll on him, and even though he'd been trying to be a good sport about the whole hospital thing, he couldn't help but feel a little hurt… Kamijou's injury and ailments had served as a proper distraction for Miyagi, it seemed… as did having to take over his shifts, and even the sex they'd had last night.

But it was time to put an end to the distractions. If they were truly having problems, he wanted to face them head on, communicate them, address them, overcome them…

Risako also needed to be confronted, but for now, Shinobu's main focus was Miyagi… What had he and Risako really spoken about the night before? Just what had he interrupted? Why was Miyagi so distant with him this morning? Why hadn't he replied to any of his texts? Wasn't he willing to overcome everything to stay by Shinobu's side?!

Well, all of those questions and more would be answered soon enough.

He just wanted things to go back to how they had been…

He opened the door and the sight he was met with stole his breath away. His heart skipped a beat.

The apartment was completely and utterly empty.

No note… no food in the fridge… no appliances that had been purchased personally… nothing in the bedroom… nothing in the bathroom… nothing in any closets… completely empty…

-..- . -..-

Usami glanced up when he saw Shinobu walking toward his red Mercedes. He reached over, opening the passenger-side door.

"…" Shinobu slowly got in, hugging his backpack to his front, frowning.

Usami knew he didn't want to be questioned. Shinobu was probably the type that needed to be asked about himself in order to reveal anything, but at this point, he would need to come to terms with whatever was going on between the two men on his own, before bringing it up on his own as well.

He drove home in silence.

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Evil Poor Shinobu-chan. I picked on the other two uke, it is Shinobu-chin's turn, bwahahaha. Also, I know it's a little cliché to reconcile Miyagi and Risako's relationship, but I couldn't help it. The element in the past few chapters of my fic has been unrequited love, and I think a lot of people overlook the pain that Risako inevitably must have gone through for three years with Miyagi. It's no ten or fifteen years like Akihiko or Hiroki, but pain is pain, regardless of time… and with the other two, there was no promise… so Risako must have hurt just as much, if not more… because she was being denied something they had both committed to… and I luv Miyagi to death, but there's no denying that he wronged Risako, and even if he was hurting just as much, it's unforgiveable just to move past it like it didn't happen. To me, it's the same thing as rape. He raped her of 3 years of her life, not to mention the emotional damage… So sorry, but I had to throw that in there… sorry if anyone got the wrong impression, and don't worry about any non-con pairings, all the pairings in this fic will stay the same as in the series; as I've said before, I'm going to try to stick to canon as much as I can! XD

(1) Nowaki is referring to the ever-popular song/dance: Caramelldansen. If you look it up on Wikipedia, it explains that the song gained popularity in Japan due to the misinterpretation of the lyrics: "U-u-ua-ua is heard by some Japanese individuals as u-u-uma uma, and the line Nowaki is misinterpreting/mishearing it as being "barusamiko-su yappa irahen de" translates roughly to "we don't need any balsamic vinegar anymore" kansai dialect, I guess (which is his intended pun) but the actual line is Swedish and is: "Dansa med oss, klappa era hander" which means: "Dance with us, clap your hands" which I thought would be funny if I wove it into there… Just me being playful- sorry if my info is wrong, the source isn't often credible, but if it's true, I think any Caramelldansen lover should be made aware- I think it's funny/cute.

**Chapter 11 spoilers: **Shinobu confronts Miyagi, Hiroki disappears from the hospital, and Haruhiko cameo! Yay?

**Chapter 12 spoilers: **The uke have an uke day (which involves a lot of scheming on the part of Shinobu and Misaki), and the seme have a seme day. Friendships develop- and relationships develop.

**Extra Chapter: **Title: "Trip to Niagara Falls" The product of Misaki and Shinobu's scheming…


	11. Mix: Reconciliations

**AN: **Hurray! I reached 100 reviews! I win! So I decided to update… -.-' Wasn't waiting for review no. 100, it just happened at the same time as my supervision class ended (and right before physics and literature mid-terms! So there might not be another chapter for a week or two.)

**Warnings: **still spoilers up to vol 10, yaoi, smexing, etc…

**WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS BOOBS! IF BOOBS SCARE YOU, YOU MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS CHAPTER! **(No, but seriously, they're covered up, don't worry.)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Junjou Romantica, or anything else that this fic makes references to, and I am not being paid _**monetarily**_ for this fic. (Swims in mountain of cookies).

-..- . -..-

Chapter 11: Reconciliations

-..- . -..-

Wednesday

The next morning was the first in a few long days that it wasn't raining. In fact, the sky had cleared up tremendously and the sun was shining.

Birds chirped, children played outside, hell, the sky was practically made of rainbows.

But for Takatsuki Shinobu, it was still raining, the skies were gray, and there was an atmosphere of gloominess surrounding his very existence.

The alarm clock went off on the nightstand beside Takahashi Misaki's bed. He rolled over onto a lump and reached over, shutting it off.

A muffled 'mpf…' came from the lump beneath him and he wiped his eye, sitting up. The random Suzuki-sans that Usagi-san usually snuck into his bed while he slept didn't usually speak or make noises…

Blinking his eyes open, tiredly, he stared down into equally tired, but more irritated looking eyes.

…

"GUAAAAH!!" Misaki gawked, leaping backward off of the boy and landing on his rump, bouncing once or twice as he pointed, stammering, his eye twitching. "Wh-why- y-you-?! In my BED?!"

"Ohayo gozaimasu." Shinobu sat up, rubbing his eye and ignoring Misaki's incoherent babbling.

"M-morning…" Misaki muttered, at last, rubbing the back of his head. "…Wh-why are you in my bed?"

"Sexual healing, maybe?"

"NO WE DIDN'T!!" Misaki argued, furiously.

"Then it's because I stayed the night… I went to see Miyagi last night and his stuff was gone… oh, right… you were asleep by the time Usami-san and I got back…"

"…His stuff was gone? What do you mean?" Misaki snapped out of his freaked out stupor, hurriedly expressing concern for his friend.

"Yeah…" Shinobu frowned, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"…The-there must be some mistake…" Misaki blinked. "Why would he just suddenly disappear? You sure you didn't accidentally open the wrong doo…" He trailed off at the intense glower he was receiving. "…Hey, ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE!"

"The truth is…" Shinobu trailed off before sighing. "…We've been having this… _problem_ lately…"

"You mean because he's straight?"

"HE'S NOT-! … No, it's not something like that." Shinobu huffed. "…See… the truth is… my father is the literature department chair, so he's Miyagi's boss… my sister is Miyagi's ex-wife… who my father set up with Miyagi… and after they divorced, I got excited and came back to Japan to take my chances with Miyagi… we fell in love- well… I was already in love with him, ever since I was a kid… but him… he fell in love with me… but because of his position as my father's subordinate, we had to keep things quiet with regard to our relationship… but… the other day… my sister kind of just walked in on us when we were making looooo- - - **having sex**."

Misaki grinned from ear to ear and Shinobu glowered at him again.

"Shut up."

"So… she walked in on you guys? How's her relationship with her ex-husband? Err… Miyagi-Professor? And with you?"

"…Our relationship's always been rocky… and she was pretty mad at Miyagi, I guess… whenever I brought him up, we'd argue, and I'd be the one defending him, if that tells you anything… anyway… we weren't able to get a hold of her… we were scared she told my dad or something, but he seemed normal on Monday when it came to interacting with Miyagi, I guess… but then, when you saw her the other night… I had walked in on her and Miyagi talking… when I asked him what they were talking about, I could tell he wasn't telling me the whole truth."

"…That's been bugging you on top of everything else? You seemed so calm and composed before… both of you did… It's kinda strange that he would suddenly become upset enough to just disappear; and it's not like he can even do that, right? You know where he works…"

"I don't know… I think my sister must have said something to make him think it's in my best interests if we break up or something stupid- but he didn't even say anything to me… he just disappeared… sorry to dump all this on you… after holding everything in so long-"

Misaki placed a hand on Shinobu's shoulder and smiled. "That's alright… I wish there was something I could do to help…"

"Thanks for listening… that's help." Shinobu sighed, scratching his head.

"I know! Let's make breakfast! I'll give you another lesson! I think yesterday's turned out great, if Miyagi-Professor had tried it, he definitely wouldn't have left- hey, why don't we make a bento and you can leave it for him? Maybe your feelings will reach him if we do! You know what they say," He paused to climb off the bed. "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right?"

Shinobu blinked before smiling. "That might help… thank you, Takahashi."

-..- . -..-

"Mmm…" Usami practically floated down the stairs, carried by the smell of omelets and other delicious-smelling food.

"Sit down, Usagi-san, breakfast will be ready in a bit." Misaki smiled.

"It smells good…" Usami sat, waiting to be fed. "…Takatsuki-kun, how did you sleep?"

"Takahashi is very soft and warm,"

Misaki gawked at his friend, who continued, ignoring the dangerous narrowing of Usami's eyes.

"I don't have a brother, but if I did, I would want him to be just like Takahashi." The teen finished his thought as he began whisking at some more liquid egg and milk.

"Ah…" The two nodded, slowly; Misaki was a bit touched and Usami simply peered down at his plate, waiting for food to appear on it.

"…Do you two want a ride to your respective colleges?" He inquired, watching as Misaki slid a delectable-looking omelet onto the plate before him.

"Yes, please!" Misaki smiled at him, then looking at Shinobu, who was reading a cooking book and not paying attention. He leaned down to whisper to his lover, softly: "Shinobu made it, please pretend to like it, even if it's bad."

"Ah…" Usami poked it. "Misaki didn't make it?"

Misaki glared. "Well… I supervised… it came from both our hearts."

"I don't want it."

"Eh?" Shinobu glanced up at them and Misaki laughed, waving the matter away.

"Don't fret, Shinobu! We're just having some selfishness issues."

"If Misaki didn't make it, I don't want to eat it…"

"Ah… That's understandable… since I'm no good…" Shinobu sighed, untying his apron.

"Mm…" Usami sighed, poking it with his fork and taking a bite of what he'd pulled off.

". . ." Shinobu and Misaki both stared, and Usami chewed, swallowed, then pushed the plate away.

"It's awful."

"AAAAH!!" Misaki gawked, jaw dropping at his lover's lack of tact.

"What's awful about it?" Shinobu huffed.

"Misaki didn't make it."

"I'll try again, please eat it."

"It's not the way you made it or even the taste, it's that Misaki didn't make it." Usami mumbled.

"I don't understand that, but I'm going to make it over again, and you're going to try it this time. It'll be better."

"Ruuu…." Misaki's shoulders sank. He got the feeling he was dealing with two extremely stubborn people at the moment… "If we don't hurry, we'll be late…"

"No, this is fine, I'll eat it." Usami muttered, picking up another piece with his fork. "…I just won't like it."

"Mm…" Shinobu's eyes narrowed in irritation and Misaki sighed. This was their way of compromising?

Sighing, he switched on the radio.

_"All next week! The winners of the car wash competition will receive an all expenses paid vacation to Niagara Falls in Ontario Canada! Anyone who wants to participate need only call the following number…"_

Shinobu looked up, suddenly. "I forgot!!" He whipped out his cell phone and dialed. Usami and Misaki both watched, curiously.

"…Yes? This is Takatsuki Shinobu. I'd like to enter my team in the car wash contest! So far there are only two, but I'm working on obtaining more members! The other person is Takahashi Misaki."

"AH-!!" Misaki gawked. "Why are you entering _me?!"_

"Yes… Team yellow? That's a horrible color! Assign us a different one… Yes, team silver will be fine. Thank you. My cell phone number is-"

"Wh-what?!" Misaki gawked. "Sh-shinobu?!"

"Thank you very much." Shinobu hung up, smiling. "So, how's the omelet? Did it get any better? What's wrong with it, exactly?"

"…The omelet itself needs more pepper." Usami muttered. The omelets Misaki always made were yellow, his tie was yellow- what was Takatsuki's issue, anyway? Yellow was a great color…

Misaki huffed. "…How about some vinegar?" He suggested.

"…" Usami hurriedly stuffed his mouth with more of Shinobu's omelet to avoid having to reply to that comment.

"USAMI-SENSEI!!" Aikawa exploded into the apartment, suddenly, eyes darting about dangerously in search of Usami.

"Aikawa-san…" Misaki laughed, nervously, gesturing to Shinobu. "Welcome, this is-"

"MANUSCRIPT! WHERE IS IT?!" Aikawa demanded, passing the two and slamming her hands down on the table, furiously.

"Actually, it is finished. If you'll give me a moment, I'll retrieve it for you." Usami muttered, standing.

"If you're not back in five minutes, I will find you!" She snapped as he headed up the stairs.

She then noticed Shinobu. "Ah… is this your friend, Misaki-kun?"

"Yes, but he doesn't attend my university… he goes to T Uni."

"That's impressive!" Aikawa praised, taking Shinobu's hands in hers. "What an attractive young man! My name is Aikawa Eri! It's very nice to meet you."

"My name is Takatsuki Shinobu, the pleasure is all mine."

"Aikawa, this is Takatsuki Shinobu, the boy I told you about. And here is the manuscript for my novel," Upon his return, Usami handed Aikawa the manuscript she'd asked for, "as well as the first chapter of the manuscript for the novel Takatsuki-kun is co-starring in."

"ME?!" Shinobu blinked, looking up.

"AAAAH! SO THIS IS THE BOY WE DISCUSSED OVER THE PHONE LAST NIGHT!! How exciting!" Aikawa took both manuscripts, glancing from the thicker one, which she looked upon as though it were silver, to the small bunch of papers that composed the first chapter of Junai Terrorist; gazing at it as though it were gold.

Misaki's eyes bulged. "W-wait! What does that mean?!" As Shinobu's friend and ideal-big-brother-figure, Misaki absolutely refused to permit such horrors to befall upon his friend.

"I've decided to name the couple Junai Terrorist. The names are Miagi You and Takasuki Shinobu. What do you think?" Usami inquired (to no one in particular).

"A BL novel with a large age-difference is more than I could have asked for! I hope you addressed the importance of love regardless of age and gender?" Aikawa asked, longingly.

"Strong undertones, yeah."

"How wonderful!" The energetic woman clutched the heaps of paper to her breasts, spinning once to release some of her zeal. "Ah- love between men is simply the best!!"

Shinobu's eyes sparkled. "Aikawa-san…"

"Eh??" She blinked as her hand was taken again and Shinobu smiled up at her, adoringly.

"If I could trade my older sister with any other person, it would be you!! A woman who not only tolerates but also feels so strongly about the importance of love regardless of such trivial factors is more than I could ever hope for in a sister!!"

"Eh?" She stared, confused, blinking. "But Takatsuki-kun, more and more women are tolerant and are even fans of such things- in fact, probably more than you think… in any case… are you not getting along with your sister or something?"

"She's against my relationship." Shinobu's face darkened.

"What's her name? I'll add the character to the next chapter." Usami stated and Misaki fumed on his friend's behalf.

"Eh? Her name is Risako…"

"In any case," Aikawa placed her hand on Shinobu's shoulder, smiling. "I'm sure your sister wants you to be happy above all else… even if she's a little behind in the times, she surely wants what's best for you."

"This is someone who put me in the dryer when we were children and turned it on."

Aikawa laughed at that. "How about a ride to school, boys?"

"I can do it." Usami huffed.

"But if I take them, that'll give you more time to work on Junai Terrorist!" She grinned.

"…Mmm…" Usami couldn't argue with that dangerous yet seemingly harmless look.

-..- . -..-

"Alright, boys… I have no idea where I'm going…" Aikawa stared ahead of her as she drove.

"My school is first." Misaki stated.

"I know how to get there, but T. Uni is complicated… I think the main road is down for construction, something about an explosion, have you heard the news?" she turned on the radio and the same advertisement from before came one.

"I'll win!" Shinobu glared at the radio, challengingly.

"Mm? You entered?" Aikawa blinked.

"YEAH! He entered me, too! What's the deal, Shinobu?" Misaki asked.

"The truth is… ever since- well… Thursday… I've had this fantasy… and winning those tickets to Niagara falls would help me to fulfill that fantasy."

"Fantasy?" The two blinked as they continued toward Misaki's university.

"… My friend Kusama Nowaki and Takahashi's literature instructor, Kamijou Hiroki, are lovers… homosexual lovers… and Kusama-san confided in me that his dream is to get married in Toronto Canada… if I win these tickets to Ontario, he and Kamijou-sensei can get married there…"

'Kusama Nowaki and Kamijou Hiroki?' Aikawa's eyes flashed. 'Ah- so the characters Usami-sensei based the Junai Egoist couple off of are those two! It has to be!! I want to meet them!!'

"Wait, so it's YOUR fantasy that THOSE TWO would get married??" Misaki blinked.

"What about it?" Shinobu huffed, eyes narrowing on him, as though he expected to have to defend his fantasy.

"Gyaa-!! Err… n-nothing…" Misaki waved his hands about, nervously, "it's just… kind of um… _different _for someone's fantasies to involve two other people and to have their fantasy have nothing to do with themselves is all…"

"It's not like it has _nothing _to do with me… If it would make Kusama-san happy, I'd be happy, and… to have two men I know get married would give me hope… like… maybe Miyagi and I can get married someday… even though, right now…" He trailed off, frowning dismally.

Misaki frowned, too. "Err… Shinobu…"

"Alright! I'll help, too! Sign me up!"

"EH?!" Misaki gawked at Aikawa, who smiled brightly.

"It's also my fantasy to have two men get married!!"

"AH-?!" Misaki's eyes bulged. What was WRONG with people?! "Fantasize about yourselves!!"

"No!" The other two argued.

"Anyway…" Misaki sighed as Aikawa pulled up in front of M. Uni. "If you give me the bento box, Shinobu, I'll put it on Miyagi-Professor's desk for you."

"Thank you very much." Shinobu handed over the bento.

"And try to have a good day- hey, if you don't want to go home again, just text me or call me, okay?" Misaki asked.

"Un." Shinobu nodded.

"Take care, then!" Misaki waved. "And Aikawa-san, thank you very much."

"See you at the car wash." She waved, giggling.

"Oh yeah! ABOUT THAT- GUAH!!" Misaki gawked as the two sped off. "…"

-..- . -..-

Misaki watched Miyagi as the bell rang, indicating that it was time to release the students.

Miyagi glanced up at the clock before hurriedly finishing his sentence, then closing his book.

"Anyone who has any questions, feel free to drop by my office, I'm a little busy today, so I can't stay long, but I'll be understandably lenient. If word gets to Kamijou-sensei, however, I will find the source and take vengeance." He smiled lightly as the class chuckled softly at his quip. It seemed Misaki's class preferred Miyagi to their usual object-throwing instructor.

Suddenly Misaki realized sitting at the back of the class wasn't very convenient. He had hoped to confront Miyagi and ask him about why he was avoiding Shinobu, but by the time he reached the bottom step, Miyagi was long gone.

He sighed, annoyed, scratching the back of his head.

"Ffffuuuu…"

"GUAH!" Misaki cupped his palm over the back of his neck, flushing furiously and spinning around to gawk at his sempai, who had blown cold air on and past his neck.

"Thanks for texting me about those notes and my focus of study. I think I actually got an A on the test." Sumi smirked.

"Sempai… you scared me…" Misaki rubbed the back of his head, annoyed.

"Wanna get lunch?"

"Yeah, sure… I probably missed him anyway." Misaki sighed.

"Oh?" Sumi blinked. "Who's that?"

"No one- anyway, you owe me lunch this time."

"I know, I remember."

The two made their way to the university's cafeteria. After choosing their respective lunches and Sumi paid for them, they both sat down at an isolated table.

"You've been busy with this whole Kamijou thing, right?" Sumi asked, taking a bite of his meal. "Are you going to the hospital today?"

"Probably not." Misaki averted his gaze. "Well… maybe… he's a little overwhelmed, I think…"

"I should think so… it would be one thing if it was _just _the surgery, but his leg must have been pretty jacked up, too… and he came to school sick that day, on top of everything, from what I heard… something about a flu- jeez… he should enter a contest or something. Sickest man on earth."

"Wasn't there some guy named… err… Armstrong or something… who overcame like ten thousand diseases or something?" Misaki blinked. "I don't think Kamijou-sensei could top that…"

"Kamijou-sensei top…" Sumi snickered, nibbling on a pocky stick.

"Where'd you get pocky?" Misaki asked before blushing as a stick was poked into his mouth.

"I brought it… eh? What's wrong?" Sumi blinked, noticing Misaki's disgusted face. "I didn't chew on this one yet if that's what you're worried about… don't you like strawberry?"

"I did once." Misaki choked the thing down. "Anyway, why did you ask if I was going to the hospital? Did you want to visit Kamijou-sensei with me?"

"…I was thinking about it..." Sumi huffed, taking a bite of his food. "…Anyway, I'm glad for you- you'll probably be a little less busy the next couple of days, huh?"

"Psht." Misaki huffed. "I've got work tonight, but aside from that, I got suckered into doing this car wash thing for tickets to Niagara Falls."

"Huh?" Sumi blinked. "…Why would you want to go there?"

"I'm trying to win them for someone else… I dunno… I kinda got dragged into it… you think I wanna spend a whole week between school and work scrubbing cars and getting all wet and soapy?"

". . . Will Usami-sensei be there?"

"Huh?" Misaki blinked.

"I'll help, too, if Usami-sensei will be there."

"YOU WILL?!" Misaki gasped, happily. "H-he'll be there!!"

"Mmm…" Sumi took another bite. "Okay. Sign me up."

-..- . -..-

"Usagi-san!" Misaki opened the door to the red sports car when Usami pulled up in front of the school. "I need a fa…" He trailed off, glancing in the back, where Shinobu was sitting, hands folded in his lap.

"Giving him a ride home. Saw him walking." Usami stated.

"Ah…" Misaki got in, smiling and buckling up. "Hey, Shinobu."

"How was school?" Shinobu inquired. "Did you pass the test?"

"I did really well, thanks to your tutoring." Misaki grinned. "Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome- did Miyagi get my bento?"

"Not sure… he was extremely busy all day, but he said he was going to his office, so I'm sure he got it… Guess that means you haven't heard from him?""

"…Thanks for going through the trouble…" Shinobu smiled, lightly.

"What did you say you needed?" Usami asked, putting the car in reverse.

"W-wait…" Misaki blinked. "Miyagi-Professor is surely still at the school… Shinobu, did you want to go wait for him in his office? You're bound to see him-"

"That's alright." Shinobu declined. "…I'm going to wait for him at home. If I wait for him at school, that's forcing him to confront me, and I don't want to force him. I want him to man up and talk to me of his own volition."

"Uh… I see…" Misaki blinked.

"I'd like to thank you for all you've done for me, but I won't involve you in my problems anymore… I apologize for any inconvenience." Shinobu told the two.

"There was no inconvenience." Usami reassured him.

"Regardless, I won't bother you anymore."

"It's not a bother." Misaki huffed as Usami pulled up to the apartment complex that Shinobu lived at.

"Good. See you at the car wash. I'll text you when I come up with a good location." Shinobu got out.

"Oh yeah… sign up two more people!"

"Eh?!" Shinobu ducked back down, peering inside through Misaki's window.

"Yeah, I got two more people!" Misaki raised his fingers in the shape of a 'V.'

"Who?"

"Sumi Keiichi of M. Uni and Usagi-san!"

"Come again?" Usami glanced over his shoulder.

Misaki put on the most luring uke face he could muster. "Because, Usagi-san, it's important to me…"

"…Sign me up." Usami sighed, annoyed.

"Yatte!" Shinobu pulled out his cell and hurried off to call the radio station.

"That seemed easy…" Misaki smirked at Usami. "I should try being manipulative more often."

"Well, I'm still sort of in the dog house… also, if it means seeing Misaki in wet, see-through clothes…"

Misaki shook his head, annoyed. "We need more women on our team… Ah- Aikawa also agreed to join!"

Somehow, Usami's random train of thought went from seeing Misaki with see-through clothes to seeing Aikawa with see-through clothes and he shuddered, violently.

"You okay, Usagi-san?" Misaki blinked.

"Naked women…" Was Usami's disgruntled reply.

"??"

-..- . -..-

Nowaki sighed as he stretched out his arm, clutching onto his shoulder with his other hand, rotating his arm to help his bones and muscles to ache less. He'd just ended his shift. It was sort of convenient to get off of work and suddenly be with Kamijou Hiroki- almost like getting off and going home… but getting there in less than five minutes.

He shook that horribly selfish thought from his head, hurrying toward Hiroki's room.

He pushed the door open and his eyes widened when he saw the nurse, Suzuki, bundling up the blankets for washing- the room was being prepped for a new patient.

A feeling of dread washed over him.

"Suzuki-san?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes?" She smiled.

"…Hiro-san? Where did he go?"

"Mmm…" She cocked her head to the side, nervously. "According to the paperwork, if my memory serves me, you agreed to check him out- we have your signature and everything…"

"I did?"

"Well… he wasn't going to be so easily released, but I guess since you're his roommate and a member of the staff, it was agreed that he could be released to go with you when your shift ended- your shift ended three hours ago, didn't it?"

"Technically, but… I mean… err… that is… you're right… thank you very much-"

"Is something the matter?" She asked.

"Everything's fine." He smiled, turning and hurrying off.

-..- . -..-

Nowaki threw the door to his home open. He didn't get angry often, and to say he was angry now was an understatement. He really wasn't sure how to act in this kind of situation; he'd only ever gotten extremely angry at Hiroki, (or angry at all, really), one time- and the most he had done was snap at his lover… but this…

This left him livid, even after the hour it took between hearing of his lover's irresponsible act and finally arriving at the home that they shared.

He stormed inside, furiously. The smell of dinner met him and he turned into the kitchen, where he found Hiroki stirring a stew on the stove.

Before doing anything else, he took a moment to look over his lover.

He had made it home, which relieved him of the ten million tons of fear that had been weighing his heart down the whole way home…

He was standing, though his bad leg wasn't touching the floor, but was lifted behind him, almost like those girls who lift their legs when being kissed- kind of a funny thought, but he was mad at Hiroki, and wanted it to remain that way for the time being; also, he didn't want to be hit, so he would refrain (for now) from pointing out the girlish pose…

He didn't look particularly disoriented or tired- in fact he _seemed_ quite lively…

But this was still unforgivable…

Nowaki's first instinct was to scream and bellow at his lover for checking himself out, forging his signature, and just… being an idiot.

There was no reason the hospital should have released him, and just how the hell had he made it all the way home on that hurt foot, anyway?!

Rather than scolding his lover, who turned to glance at him, nervously upon noticing his arrival, Nowaki just turned, leaving him to do as he wished.

If he even _tried _to talk to his lover, it'd surely end in an argument, and above all else, Hiroki needed to rest and relax- and engaging in a heated argument certainly wouldn't be good for his heart rate or blood pressure…

He resigned himself to screaming at his lover in his head:

'ARE YOU STUPID?!'

'Do you WANT to die?!'

'You don't want to get better at all, do you?!'

'You live to make me worry! You want me to have a heart attack!'

'What. Is. Wrong. With. YOU?!'

'Get over your stupid pride!'

'I'm telling your mother.'

He huffed, sitting in the living room and pulling out a newspaper from a couple of days ago, reading over it in an attempt to distract himself from the fury and fear that was overwhelming his senses.

Hiroki poked his head out the kitchen door, peering over at his lover, nervously. He'd dealt with a defensive Nowaki, an annoyed Nowaki, a somewhat angry Nowaki, a sad Nowaki, and an apologetic Nowaki… but Nowaki had never really avoided him before… Hiroki knew that if they spoke, they'd argue, just as well as Nowaki did… maybe that's why he wasn't speaking to him… still, it freaked him out.

"Dinner's almost ready, you can wash up." Hiroki called.

Nowaki grit his teeth and turned a page, pointedly ignoring his lover.

After a few minutes, Hiroki limped into the living room with an unconvincingly 'casual' smile, (unconvincing because it was apparent that there was an issue that needed to be addressed, and also because Hiroki rarely smiled at all.)

He set two plates down, one for him, and one for Nowaki.

Nowaki let out a long sigh, setting the newspaper down and rubbing his temples.

"Did you have a rough day?" Hiroki asked, trying to divert his lover's attention somehow.

Or perhaps he was just struggling to cling to a sense of normalcy…

Either way, Nowaki continued ignoring him.

Hiroki was tempted to apologize, but he absolutely wouldn't do it. Instead, he sighed, tapping his chopsticks against the table a couple of times, nervously.

Still, he hated the thought of Nowaki ignoring him…

Mostly because he'd never had to deal with this type of thing before…

He was so used to Nowaki chasing after him, longing for him, openly expressing his love for him, (though probably not as openly as Nowaki would like, it was certainly more than Hiroki would normally allow), that the thought of Nowaki wanting to have nothing to do with him frightened him…

Talking would probably lead to an argument, but they were supposed to work on communication… and his near-death experience had given him, if nothing else, a renewed understanding of the need for stronger communication between the two.

Sighing, he folded his arms, preparing to get yelled at.

"Nowaki… I couldn't stay there anymore…"

Nowaki sighed, reaching over and Hiroki blinked, expecting him to touch him lovingly, but when his lover's hand brushed across his forehead in an attempt to check his temperature, he fumed, slapping Nowaki's hand away and standing.

"God damn it, Nowaki! I can take care of myself! I understand my own damn limitations! It's not like I'm going to do that ever again, okay?!"

"Hiro-san-"

"I'm a grown man…" Hiroki finished, annoyed, sitting down. "…And I'm going back to work tomorrow."

"…" Nowaki inhaled, trying to calm his own anger. "You say you understand all that… but if you really meant it when you said you weren't going to do something stupid to endanger your life again, you wouldn't have checked yourself out today!"

Hiroki turned away, annoyed.

"Ugh, I already told you, if I stayed in that stupid hospital room, I would have gone crazy… checking myself out was better for my health than staying, believe me."

"Believe you? Who is the doctor here, Hiro-san?!"

"What doctor?" Hiroki scoffed. "You're just a med student."

Nowaki pounded his fist down on the table, but he didn't say anything, he just stood and headed or the door.

"Where are you going?" Hiroki blinked.

"I'm going to buy an umbrella." Nowaki told him, slamming the door closed after leaving.

Hiroki frowned. He knew what that meant… Nowaki couldn't stand to be around him right now, so he excused himself before he could explode at his lover.

The brunette sank down in his seat, annoyed. 'If he's so concerned, why doesn't he trylooking at things from _my_ perspective?!' He thought, furiously. 'So I checked myself out… if I wasn't well enough, I certainly wouldn't have… anyway, I can't stand being bed-ridden… I also can't stand the way people are treating me, like I'm some fragile doll that needs to be looked after… wait… calm down, self… maybe _I _should look at it from Nowaki's stand-point… he loves me… he's just worried about me… I'm sure he'd like me to just stay in bed 'til I get better- but I just can't do that! Ugh… I suck at seeing things from others' points of view…'

He scratched his head, annoyed, before clearing his throat. "But I feel much better… I'm not coughing anymore, my leg doesn't ache, and my stomach doesn't hurt… I'm fine…" He told himself, staring down at his soup.

Sighing, he pushed it away and rested his arms on the table, laying his head down over them.

-..- . -..-

Shinobu traced his fingers along the floorboards in Miyagi's apartment.

"This is the same spot Miyagi touched me, that first time… the same place we've made love more than twice a week every week since we've been together…" He reminisced as he stared, dismally, at the floor beneath his fingers.

Frowning, he placed both hands down on the floorboards before leaning down, resting his forehead against the polished wood.

Somehow, he felt, kneeling here in his lover's empty apartment, feeling lonelier than he could ever recall feeling, he had reached his limit.

After putting up a strong front for this long, pretending not to feel anxious or worried about the events that had transpired with regard to his sister and their dilemma, he found himself unable to hold back his tears.

He'd done so well, lately, refraining from crying over things that would normally force an uncomfortable lump in his throat, but the pain of losing Miyagi; of Miyagi no longer wanting to deal with him… tore him absolutely to shreds.

Gritting his teeth, he dug his fingernails into the cold floor and let his tears flow freely, sniffling and sobbing occasionally.

Suddenly he heard the door creak open behind him and he gasped, sitting up and turning, eyes wide.

Miyagi entered with a bucket of sudsy water in one hand, another bucket of cleaning supplies in the other, towels draped over his shoulder and arms.

He blinked when he saw Shinobu, and the state he was in, taking a moment to let the sight before him register.

"Shinobu-chin?" He hurried toward him, worriedly, "…What's the matt-"

"MIII—YAA—GIII!!" Shinobu wailed, throwing himself at his lover and glomping him to the floor, burying his face in his chest and sobbing uncontrollably.

"…Shinobu?" Miyagi blinked, dismissing the fact that the sudsy water he'd carried in had crashed to the floor, and was now soaking into his clothes as he lay there, holding his sniveling lover.

"Thank you for coming to talk to me," Shinobu struggled to communicate, despite his bawling, "I-if you just t-tell me why you're leaving, I'll fix whatever needs to be fixed! If you have a problem, please don't ignore or avoid me anymore! Tell me to my face!"

"…What?" Miyagi asked, rubbing Shinobu's back, confused.

"Why're you trying to leave me?" Shinobu whispered, sniffling and pressing his forehead to Miyagi's collarbone.

"…Shinobu, calm down, calm down…" Miyagi sat up, pushing Shinobu into a seated position on his lap.

Shinobu sniffed and wiped his eyes, ashamed, head bowed, slightly, but eyes still locked with Miyagi's.

"Just calm down, and then tell me what the hell you're talking about." Miyagi smiled, caressing his lover's cheek, gently. 'He's so cute… but what crazy thoughts have been swimming through his head these last couple nights?'

"W-well… wh-why… are you leaving me?" Shinobu asked. "Did Neechan say something to you? I-I could tell you were lying! I don't think there's any reason that either of us should hold back, right? So just tell me like it is! Whe-when it comes to… everything…"

Miyagi blinked, baffled. "Shinobu-chin, why are you under the impression that I'm trying to leave you?"

"…The-the apartment's empty… I c-came here and it was empty… and when I tried getting a hold of you, I couldn't… you haven't been responding to any of my texts… or phone calls… aren't you avoiding me?" Shinobu managed not to cry anymore, but couldn't keep his voice from consistently cracking underneath his lover's stare.

"Ah..?" Miyagi stared at his lover, confused. "Shinobu-chin… have you not stepped foot inside your apartment at all over the past few days?"

"Eh?" Shinobu blinked.

"All my stuff is in your apartment… I emptied mine because I'm going to go through and clean everything in here so it stops smelling like burnt ramen…"

". . . S-so… y-your stuff is all in m-my place?"

"Well, yeah, most of it… I took some stuff to storage, and my office, but for the most part, I just put all my furniture in your place- it's kind of a jungle in there right now, and I put a note in there, too, explaining that my phone's acting up- I can receive texts, but I can't send any, and I'm out of minutes, I'm having some irritating issues with my phone company… also… Shinobu-chin, if you had just come inside last night, I was there… waiting for you…"

Shinobu stared at his lover, blankly. So… if he had simply left Miyagi's apartment after seeing it empty, and checked his own, the past twenty or so hours' worth of stress and depression could have been completely avoided…

Somehow…

Somehow…

THIS WAS ALL…

MIYAGI'S FAULT!

"BAKA YARO!!" Shinobu tantrummed, grabbing a bucket with a little water in it and shoving it over Miyagi's head, pushing him down into the puddle and taking his leave, thoroughly humiliated. Even his ears were red.

Miyagi's laughter echoed from inside the bucket as his hand reached out, blindly, catching Shinobu's wrist. The water on the floor caused the teen to slip and fall to the ground, joining his water-logged boyfriend, who pulled the bucket off of his head.

"Shinobu-chin, aren't you just letting your worst fears get the better of you?" He wrapped his arms around Shinobu's waist and dragged him through the puddle and away from the door.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear that from you! Why wouldn't you have mentioned doing this up to this point?!"

"We've both been preoccupied… I mentioned it to so many people, I must have just assumed I told you- I'm sure I've mentioned getting rid of this smell more than once… and I didn't expect you to go to my apartment, see it empty, and just run off without stopping by your own… anyway, I got your bento today."

"…"

"It was delicious- you're getting better and better every day…" He hugged Shinobu from behind, nipping at the boy's ear.

"Mmm…" Shinobu squirmed, trying to free himself from Miyagi's hold. "Let go… I've got better things to do than waste my time- I-I have… I have to-"

Miyagi's tongue slid along the lobe of the teen's ear and coherent speech left the poor boy, who panted, softly, shutting his eyes.

"Shinobu-chin… I didn't mean to make you worry." Miyagi told him, kissing his neck, tenderly.

"Miyagi…" Shinobu blushed lightly. "I meant what I said! From now on… please… can we just say what's on our minds? That way there's no way we'll be doubtful or unhappy, right?! The feelings I've felt the last day… I never want to feel them again…"

"And I thought _I _was happy to see _you_ when I walked in here." Miyagi smirked, pressing his palm to Shinobu's cheek, again. "But then… you've been holding back, too, right? How long has this frustration been pent up inside you?"

"…" Shinobu frowned. "Miyagi… promise me that if you ever have any reason to avoid me or that if you're mad at me, you'll tell it to me straight…"

"Of course I would…" Miyagi whispered, undoing the buttons on the boy's shirt and sliding it down his shoulders, trailing a string of hot, wet kisses down the boy's torso.

"Miyagiii…"

"I intended to clean the floor, not make a mess of it." Miyagi chuckled, pinning Shinobu to the floor.

"Th-then let me up…"

"I find my intentions have changed completely."

"Miyagi!"

"You don't want it?" Miyagi smirked.

"…L-lock the damn door."

Miyagi laughed and paused. "…The echo in here is pretty great… It'll be nice to hear your moans echoing off the walls and filling the empty room…."

"Perverted-" Shinobu was cut off by the older man's tongue, which invaded his mouth, hungrily. "Mgmgmm…"

"You said to speak what's on my mind, right?" Miyagi smirked, breaking their kiss as he twisted Shinobu's nipple back and forth, teasingly.

"Itai!" Shinobu twisted Miyagi's through his shirt, glowering adorably at his lover.

Miyagi laughed, pushing the boy even harder into the floor.

"What about it?" Shinobu huffed.

"Mm?"

"Speaking what's on our mind…? Got something you want to admit?" Shinobu asked. "…I'll listen… to anything… stress from work… worry for Kamijou-sensei or even for your position due to anything my sister's told you… worry for us… I… also take requests." The teen attempted to come off sexy and confident, but his voice squeaked a little at that last part out of nervousness.

He hoped Miyagi didn't catch it, but that smirk and the narrowing of his lover's eyes obliterated any hopes he had of his lover's lack of observational skills.

"Requests, huh? No matter how outrageous or bizarre?"

"W-well… I have limits…" Shinobu mumbled, nervously, his cheeks stained red.

"Oh, I understand that." Miyagi smirked. "I'd _never _ask you to do something you're not comfortable with."

Shinobu frowned. "You say it teasingly… but you really mean it… don't you? Miyagi?" He reached up, tracing his fingers across Miyagi's jaw line and past his neck, brushing his thumb against one of Miyagi's side burns as he gazed into his eyes.

"I mean it." Miyagi reassured him, undoing the button on Shinobu's pants.

"But… because I love you… I'll do anything to make you happy." Shinobu whispered. "…So please…" Tears welled in his eyes. "Please don't ever… ever leave me… I'll break apart…"

"Don't say that…" Miyagi frowned. "You're very strong, Shinobu. Even if you were to break apart, I know you'd pull yourself together… but don't worry… I'd have to be an idiot to leave you- and contrary to popular belief, I'm a fairly intelligent guy."

A smile spread across Shinobu's face and his eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "Miyagi…"

"Now… about your comment on requests…" Miyagi sat up, folding his arms, thoughtfully. "You said you'd do _anything _to make me happy?" He arched a brow.

"Within reason." Shinobu glared, trying to sit up, too.

"_Aaanyyythiiing?"_

"_Within reason." _Shinobu huffed before placing his hands on Miyagi's chest and leaning up to whisper into his ear. "…Tell me where to put my mouth or hands… I'll turn you into a hypersexual, just like me."

"As tempting as that is, I'm sure it's impossible." Miyagi smirked. "So instead, I want to see what you'd do if I wasn't around. And I don't mean anymore of that bawling."

Shinobu glared before blushing when he realized what his lover was insinuating. "Y-you want me to touch myself?"

"Yeah. You act so uppity when it comes to porn and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, you're a healthy teenage boy, right?" Miyagi smirked. "You've touched yourself before, right? Show me some of the passion you had pent up before we got together."

Shinobu flushed, deeply, shrugging his shoulders as his face reddened. "Y-you think I masturbated to fantasies of you touching me before we met?"

"Am I wrong?"

"N-not th-that you're wrong… per se… j-just… th-that's…"

"So go on and show me…" Miyagi smirked.

"…Th-then you, too!" Shinobu snapped.

"Alright… make me hard, then… if you think you can."

Shinobu flushed, moving away a little and getting up on his knees, trailing a hand from his navel to his chest, obviously a little nervous, but his personality forced him to comply.

He was never one to back down from a challenge, after all- especially when it came to pleasing Miyagi.

He reached into his pants with his other hand and hunched over a little, shutting his eyes and tilting his head, as though he were overly sensitive. Hurriedly, he pulled his hand out, straightened, and pulled his shirt off the rest of the way- it was soaking, anyway- and then slid his pants down to his thighs.

Miyagi got comfortable, (as comfortable one could get while seated in a puddle), and watched as Shinobu sat down and pulled his pants off, tossing them to join his shirt.

Now clad only in his boxers and socks, Shinobu decided to discard his socks, first, then, he sighed, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Cold?" Miyagi asked, and Shinobu shook his head.

"It just smells in here- err… you're not here!" He turned his head, indignantly and huffed.

Miyagi laughed at the childlike gesture and cupped a hand over his mouth. "Go on."

Nodding, Shinobu continued, reaching down to cup his hand over the bulge in his boxers, shutting his eyes tight, yet again, and letting out a soft sigh that sounded oddly close to Miyagi's name.

Miyagi watched, interested. Since he and Shinobu had first gotten together, he had never heard the boy once complain about how he did things, save for the occasional complaint about roughness, or post-love-making-pain… but in all honesty, he was absolutely new to the whole 'homosexual sex' thing, so perhaps he could learn a thing or two about how Shinobu fantasized about him touching him, and perhaps imitate…

But to be _perfectly _honest, he mostly just wanted to watch the boy touch himself.

Slowly, Shinobu removed his boxers, as well, before sitting, again, spreading his legs, a little, knees bent.

He swallowed, reaching down and rolling his balls over the pads of his fingers for a moment before moving his hand to his dick and squeezing his fingers around it, gently pumping a couple of times.

He tried not to watch Miyagi as his hands moved, and after a moment, he closed his eyes, sinking slowly to the floor until he was lying on his back.

Still watching, Miyagi's fingers twitched, wanting to touch either the boy or himself… but he refrained- for now.

Shinobu ran a hand from his navel to his chest, then back down, letting out a horny sigh as his hand slid from his stomach to his hip, then up and down his thigh as his hips bucked a little.

After a moment of jerking himself off and rubbing his hands up and down his youthful, naked form, he raised his fingers to his lips, running his tongue along his index and middle fingers.

Miyagi watched closely, eyes following those slick fingers all the way to

Shinobu's exposed hole.

He watched as his lover penetrated himself, carefully, sliding those thin but

boyish fingers inside as his other hand continued pumping at his throbbing need.

"Aaah… Mi-Miyagi…" Shinobu whispered as his fingers slid in and out in time with his slow bucking. "M-more…"

Miyagi swallowed, slowly undoing his own belt and pants and reaching inside, stroking himself from beneath the fabric, trying not to break Shinobu from his fantasy.

"That's so… ha… aaah…haaa…" Shinobu moaned softly, thrusting faster and delving his fingers deeper and deeper into himself, knees inching together but parting quickly as his legs began to tremble. "Not… enough… Miyagi…" His eyes opened and he glanced at his lover, desperately. "Miyagi… my 'fantasy-you' sucks compared to the 'real you'- please… I want your real cock in my ass…"

"I'd be more than happy to oblige…" Miyagi grunted as he pulled his dick from his pants and headed over, carefully inserting himself before gripping onto Shinobu's waist and thrusting all the way inside.

"Aaah!" Shinobu cried out, reaching up to grasp at the back of Miyagi's spiky head with one hand, the other still firmly tightened around his aching hard-on.

"Shinobu… that face…" Miyagi groaned as he started bucking his hips, trying to be gentle, despite his urges. "It makes me crazy…"

"Mi-Miyagi… hurry… I'm already almost…" Shinobu panted, and Miyagi pulled Shinobu up onto his lap, switching their positions as he laid down; pulling Shinobu on top of him.

"Gah… Mi…" Shinobu placed both hands firmly against his lover's abdomen as he began riding him hard, struggling to tighten his inner muscles at just the right time to bring his lover as close to climax as he was.

"Nnngh… Shinobuuu…" Miyagi groaned, snaking an arm around Shinobu's slender waist, his other hand sliding up the boy's stomach to his chest, rubbing his thumb around in circles across his left nipple.

"Nn…" The teen moaned, softly, and Miyagi smiled, lightly. He wanted to kiss and bite those quivering lips.

"Shinobu," He whispered, "It's hot… inside…" He leaned over and ran his tongue along his lover's lower lip. "How about you? How do you feel?"

"Can feel it… moving… inside… aaah…" Shinobu mumbled, incoherently as he continued bouncing on his lover's lap. "Y-your associate professor is right- y-you never do any of the work!"

"You brat." Miyagi gave his nipple a tweak and Shinbou squeaked, softly, bowing his head before arching his back and leaning forward, sliding his tongue into Miyagi's mouth and pulling almost all the way off of his lover before pulling back and sitting, slamming back down on his lover's cock and crying out, softly.

"Shinobu, you're one tough little bastard." Miyagi grunted, turning and pinning his lover to the floor with a small splash and he pulled out, adjusting Shinobu's lower body by lifting his legs by the backs of his knees. "Hold your legs up, just like this."

"Mmm…" Shinobu whimpered. "but then how am I supposed to touch myself?"

"I'll do it all, you whiny little brat." Miyagi smirked, playfully, brushing some of Shinobu's sweaty bangs aside. "Let's make this easier on you, though." He grabbed some of the hand soap he'd brought, and rubbed it together between his hands. After a moment it shot through the air and Shinobu laughed, softly and tiredly.

Miyagi stole a glance at his lover's beautiful face as he stroked himself with his slick hands, lubing himself to the best of his abilities before kneeling before his lover and slowly pressing the head of his dick against Shinobu's hole.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, huuurrrryyy…" Shinobu whispered, and Miyagi slowly pushed inside, again.

After a moment, he pulled off his shirt and tucked it beneath Shinobu's head. "Okay, sorry the apartment's empty."

"Pfft. You don't know the half of it, but huuurryyy…"

Miyagi caressed Shinobu's cheek before moving that hand down to grip onto his lover's shaft as he pressed his free hand against the floor for support.

He started moving slowly, and Shinobu got used to the pace as Miyagi began to speed up.

He tried hard to keep eye contact with his lover, but the sensations he was experiencing were pushing him over the edge. He shut his eyes tightly and focused on said feelings; such as the girth of his lover's cock ramming into his prostate, filling him up, and the sounds of their labored breathing mixing and mingling together, coupled with the sound of flesh slapping against flesh…

He whimpered as Miyagi's hand sped up, pumping his already leaking dick until it felt like it would burst.

"Aaah… aaah… Miyagi…!! I'm going to cum!" Shinobu whimpered.

"That's great… Shinobu… you get real tight when you cum- you just go ahead… I'm almost… nn…" Miyagi grunted as, true to his word, Shinobu's ass tightened around his cock and the boy shot his load all over his chest. The extra pressure on his cock sent him over the edge and he came inside his adorable lover, pressing his forehead against the boy's chest and grunting his name as he did so.

Shinobu was already spent, eyes half lidded with bliss. He sank limply into his lover's hold and they both lay together on the floor for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath.

"Shinobu… let's take a shower… I don't want you to catch a cold."

"You either… my dad would flip his lid if both lit professors were out sick…" Shinobu sighed, tiredly. "…Miyagi… can we talk for a second, first?"

"About what?" Miyagi pulled out of his lover and slowly went about collecting their soaking clothes.

"…You have a tendency to distract yourself from the things that are important…" Shinobu whispered. "…You do it all the time… at work… at home… when things start to pile up at work, you clean, and when we're having problems… you busy yourself with cleaning or other habits- sometimes just with sex… you're not doing that now, are you?"

Miyagi sighed, sitting down on the floor and staring up at the ceiling, thoughtfully. "…Sex can be satisfyingly distracting… and it's true that when I'm faced with a problem, I procrastinate or put off facing it… or distract myself, as you said… but that's how I am… but what about you…? You react poorly to problems, too… your first instinct is always to run away… go to another country… get as far away from the problem as possible… or so it seems… but then again… even when you were mad at me after you found sensei's picture, you still came by a little… you were still trying, whether you were aware of it or not… so I guess I can't put you in the same category as me-"

"No you cannot." Shinobu glared.

"…And lately, you've been better about talking about things that are bothering you… because of how I am… it might take having you confront me before I'll address certain issues… I don't feel like talking about it can help it much… we did all we could- tried contacting Risako… but now it's been settled, you could say… so let's not worry about this anymore…"

"…But what about next time something big comes up? You used Kamijou's hospitalization as a distraction this time- what about next time? Will you keep distracting yourself from big problems you're facing?"

"…It's complicated, Shinobu… if Risako weren't so understanding, things could have ended up really bad… and I'm not in any hurry to rush into a shitty situation."

"…Well I, for one, feel better when we talk about things… I don't like not knowing what you're thinking… and I hate it when you keep me at arm's length because you don't want me to know what you're thinking or because you don't want me to get hurt… our age difference doesn't mean a damn thing to me, I want to stand on equal ground with you- and I don't think I'm too young to understand whatever it is that's going through your head, so from now on, share it with me, or I won't share things with you, either!"

"…Alright, it's a deal… from now on, we'll be open with each other." Miyagi sighed. "But don't go acting like a brat when I admit to things like thinking mostly about your sister more often than you for a short period of time."

"Eh?" Shinobu gasped. "What do you mean?"

"It's to expected, right? We lived together, were married, for three years… I may not have loved her, but I must admit, I cared about her… I may not seem like it, but I do care about people… and my first thought, or feeling, rather, when she walked in on us, after that, was… well… I felt horrible… it was like you said… I didn't face the fact that I'd stolen three years of her life… I didn't face the fact that I'd hurt her deeply… after everything… all I did was continue to distract myself- to throw myself into my work… facing things like that … it's painful… but I guess if it means I can come out of it a strong man- like you- then it's worth establishing the habit…err… of facing things and… shit."

Shinobu frowned. "…You felt bad for my sister?"

"I never meant to hurt her… at the same time; I knew when I married her that I wasn't really even trying… that in itself wasn't fair… anyway, shower, come on." Miyagi ruffled Shinobu's hair. "When I said I was thinking about her, know that I meant that as a person I'd hurt… not as someone I loved or anything like that… it's like if you tripped a kid and made him fall down some stairs and then kept dwelling on it- so don't go getting jealous."

"I'm not… I understand… I'm not as big a brat as you think." Shinobu huffed, standing and slipping, nearly falling, but Miyagi caught him and laughed, shaking his head.

"…So um… what're we going to do?" Shinobu asked. "Shower in here…? Then…? We have no dry clothes."

"… You'll have to run, naked, from here to your apartment." Miyagi shrugged.

"OH YEAH?! AND FUMBLE WITH THE KEYS UNTIL I GET THE DOOR OPEN WHILE STANDING BUCK-ASS NAKED OUT IN PUBLIC?! I DON'T THINK SO!"

"What public?"

"I won't do it!" Shinobu bellowed.

-..- . -..-

Hiroki lay tiredly in his bed that night. He was waiting for Nowaki to return. Where the hell had that bastard gone just to obtain a freakin' umbrella, anyway?

He had purposefully dumped a bunch of random junk on Nowaki's bed so that when the taller man returned, he would have no choice but to sleep in Hiroki's bed with him.

He heard the front door open and he stiffened, shrugging his shoulders as he tensed; pretending to be asleep.

After a moment, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps and bags rustling. Nowaki had evidently gone shopping to clear his head. He heard his lover quietly putting the groceries away and then he heard him head to his own room.

Hearing the light flick on, Hiroki opened his eyes, nervously.

After a moment, the light flicked back off, and Nowaki nudged Hiroki's door open.

"Hiro-san?" His voice was hushed, whispering; "Are you awake?"

Hiroki continued pretending to be asleep. He listened as Nowaki made his way over to the bed, and felt relieved when he felt the bed shift. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hiro-san?"

"Mm…" Hiroki pretended to have just woken. "…What is it?"

Rather than complaining about the stuff on his bed, or asking to join Hiroki as the brunette had hoped he would, Nowaki simply turned Hiroki over.

"I know this'll make you mad, but I need to change your bandages." Nowaki told him. "We need to avoid infection at all costs… please comply without resisting."

"…Yeah, okay…" Hiroki _did_ comply. He let Nowaki tug the blankets down, gently, and he winced slightly as Nowaki slid his shirt up, making him arch his back.

Nowaki didn't seem to show any remorse for having possibly hurt his lover; he simply continued working to change the bandage.

For a moment, Hiroki wondered if perhaps even someone as gentle as Nowaki could act as casually cruel as the doctors at that damn hospital had; stabbing people with shots or breaking their bones back into place and refusing to acknowledge their own cruelty by shrugging such actions or practices off with rationalizations such as: 'it's in the patient's best interests!' or 'it's for his/her own good!' or _**what-**_**the-hell-**_**ever**_.

But he found the concept of Nowaki being one of… of… _those_ doctors… rather hard to grasp.

Finally, the bandages had been changed, and Nowaki moved a tad slower, proving to be his typical gentle self, carefully sliding Hiroki's shirt back down over his lover's freshly bandaged stomach before moving on to his leg.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, the taller man finished.

"…Nowaki…?" Hiroki whispered as Nowaki stood, heading out. "Where are you going?"

"…" Nowaki paused at the door. "…If, for any reason, you should need me, I'll be in the living room… but of course you wouldn't need me, after all, Kamijou-san is a grown adult…you know your limitations…"

Hiroki's eyes widened. "Nowaki…"

"Yes? What can I do for you?" Nowaki glanced over his shoulder.

Hiroki glared. "You can be more understanding! That's what you can do!!" He snapped, tiredly. He was absolutely drained… physically… emotionally…

"I understand perfectly well- you value your pride more than your own health, and you don't even care about the people around you who care so much about you."

"Nowaki!"

"I don't even want to look at you right now." Nowaki snapped, turning back around. "So once you come to your senses and are ready to apologize, I'll listen to you then."

Hurt by those words, Hiroki retaliated; "YOU'RE the one who doesn't care! Treating me like a patient, rather than your lover- what the hell is your deal?!"

"Right now, Hiro-san, your life is in danger, so you ARE my patient! And did you forget you forged my signature? You're the one who released yourself into my care. But, more than that, Hiro-san… just stop being stupid!" Nowaki fumbled over his words in his emotional state, "Hiro-san, you're more than a patient to me! You're my whole life! If Hiro-san dies, I'll die!" He blushed at his own childish words and Hiroki frowned, muttering something about that being stupid.

"People don't just die because their lovers die." Was the only audible thing that Nowaki could manage to catch, toward the end of the brunette's grumbled response to his statement.

There was a long, drawn-out silence for a moment, before, finally, Nowaki spoke again;

"Hiro-san, if our roles were reversed, how would you feel right now? If I were hurt, sick, and recovering from surgery, wouldn't you just want me to rest and get better?!" Nowaki asked.

Hiroki fell silent at this… If Nowaki were the one who was hurt… he'd act just as he had last time he thought Nowaki was sick… overbearing and protective… just as Nowaki seemed to be, now…

Oh God…

Nowaki sighed, turning to leave, but the next words that left Hiroki's mouth made him stop dead in his tracks.

"…I'm…I'm very sorry, Nowaki…"

The taller man turned, glancing over his shoulder again.

Hiroki was frowning, staring down at his hands, clenched in his lap.

"…" Nowaki slowly headed over, sitting down on the bed.

"…Because I've… been… selfish, and… irresponsi-" He was cut off by his lover's lips pressed to his, those warm, strong hands cupping his face.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki pulled away after a moment, staring into Hiroki's eyes, seriously, brows furrowed, slightly. "…It's because I love you more than anything in the world that I can't stand the thought of you being in any pain… please don't mistake my concern for anything other than what it is… I love you… I love you… I…" He wrapped his arms, carefully, around Hiroki, who hugged him back, sighing, annoyed. "Hiro-san… I've been hurting these last couple of days, as well."

"…I know… I'm sorry for that, too…" Hiroki whispered into Nowaki's shoulder.

"…Hiro-san…"

"Nowaki…" Hiroki smiled, lightly. He hoped the anger and tension between them wouldn't last, and aside from the pain from his physical injuries and surgery, the most painful thing he'd had to endure over these past few days was the thought of Nowaki being mad at him…

So he felt relieved, to say the least, at the comforting feeling of his lover's warm hands in his hair and on his back, the feeling of his lover's warm chest pressing against his own.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki pulled back for a moment, still looking stern. "…I understand where you're coming from… I don't see you as a patient… at the same time, please don't see me as your doctor… I like to think I understand Hiro-san better than most people… believe me… I understand the irritation, frustration, annoyance, feelings of helplessness… but checking yourself out and coming here by yourself didn't prove that you know your limitations, or that you aren't helpless… all it proved is that you're kind of an idiot… that's the truth."

Hiroki stared at Nowaki, glaring, for a moment, before grumbling something inaudible that Nowaki chose to take as a disgruntled agreement.

"But I understand, too." Nowaki smiled. "When Hiro-san was a child…"

Hiroki blinked, looking up.

"…When things got too frustrating… or overwhelming… Hiro-san would run to somewhere he felt safe… that's why Hiro-san came here… isn't it?"

Hiroki flushed, deeply, eyes widening.

Nowaki… he…

He really understood…

His brows furrowed.

How could he have possibly doubted this person? This precious, precious person who knew him better than anyone; who loved him; whom he loved in return…?

"Hiro-san… I love you." Nowaki whispered. "…Please don't ever make me worry, again…"

"…I'll do my best." Hiroki muttered, quietly. "…I love you… Nowaki."

Nowaki smiled, happily. "…How do you feel, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki sighed, annoyed before blinking when Nowaki leaned forward to whisper something into his ear.

"What I meant was …How much do you think your body can handle, tonight?"

"…" Hiroki huffed. "…Some doctor… what happened to monitoring my heart rate?"

"Then try not to get too excited." Nowaki whispered, pressing his palm to Hiroki's chest. "…But it feels like it's already racing."

"…Bastard."

Nowaki leaned forward, kissing Hiroki, tenderly at first, but more hungrily as he gave in to his passion, reaching up to cup his hand over the brunette's cheek as their tongues rolled over one another, in and out of their mouths as they fought one another for dominance.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki pulled back with a teasing smile. "You're being more aggressive than usual…"

"Got a problem with it?" Hiroki asked, and Nowaki replied by kissing him again, slowly lifting his shirt and brushing his hand across Hiroki's right nipple, which was already erect.

Hiroki arched his back, only to wince and whimper, softly, slowly lowering his back to the bed and sighing.

"Careful, Hiro-san… don't arch your back or wriggle around, too much. Also, don't hunch forward, lean up, turn from side to side, or pant too heavily."

"…How the hell are we supposed to have sex, then, idiot?!"

"You can't hold still for a little bit?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly a cold fish in bed!"

"I've noticed." Nowaki stated, simply, and Hiroki flushed.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?!"

"That Hiro-san is adorably loud in bed."

"BAKA YARO!"

"Alright, Hiro-san, I'll make you feel good, but try not to squirm, too much-" Nowaki began lowering down, but Hiroki stopped him.

"…I want you inside me."

"…Hiro-san, that's… difficult…" Nowaki sighed.

"…I'll hold still… I'll do it, but… I want you inside…" Hiroki whispered. "Please…"

Nowaki sighed, thinking it over. His head screamed 'no' and his heart was torn between also screaming 'no!' for Hiroki's sake, and screaming 'yes' because they both wanted to…

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san… but I can't risk hurting you… if I hurt you in bed, even if it was unintentional, I'd never be able to live with myself."

"…I know my limitations, Nowaki…"

Nowaki frowned. "It's not about you, Hiro-san."

"Shut up." Hiroki took Nowaki's hand in his. "When we're in my bed? Since _when_ is it not about me? When we're in bed, we're not doctor and patient, we're lovers…"

"…" Nowaki frowned. "…If we do that, it'll be wrong of both of us."

"I'm content with that." Hiroki smirked.

Nowaki sighed. "…Hiro-san, honestly… you'd better not get hurt."

"I promise… if it gets to be too much, I'll tell you."

Nowaki nodded. Very careful of his lover's leg, he climbed underneath the covers with him, removing Hiroki's clothes as well as his own. He gently laid Hiroki back in bed and sighed.

"Your face is telling me you feel like I'm treating you like a fragile doll." Nowaki sighed.

"Your gestures are telling me you are… but it's because you don't want me to be hurt."

"That's right." Nowaki affirmed, kissing Hiroki on the cheek, tenderly. "And I love Hiro-san… ready?"

"I don't know…"

"EH?!" Nowaki blinked down at his lover's half-lidded eyes.

"Suddenly…" Hiroki whispered before falling silent.

"Hiro-san? You alright?"

Hiroki smiled, lightly. "Sorry… I forgot to tell you… I just took my medicine… and since it's night time… I took the drowsy… sleepy…"

Nowaki smiled.

"Besides…" Hiroki mumbled, tiredly, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms, carefully around Nowaki, who lay atop him, "This suddenly feels… perfect."

Nowaki smiled, lying down, carefully, beside his lover, still holding him.

"Goodnight, then, Hiro-san."

"I didn't mean to tease you, Nowaki…" Hiroki reached down between the covers, stroking his lover's hard-on, once. "…I'm still awake… while I fall asleep… maybe…"

"…" Nowaki smiled, taking their dicks in his hand and jerking, carefully. "Hiro-san… let's cum together."

"Mm…" Hiroki's shoulders shrugged, slowly and his breathing intensified. "Nowaki… f…faster…"

"Hiro-san, I'm going to take it slow, just to be on the safe side." Nowaki whispered, leaning forward and kissing his exhausted lover, gently.

"Ah…" Hiroki broke every other kiss with a soft moan before burying his head in the crook of Nowaki's neck. "Nowaki… s-so good… are you almost-??"

"Almost…" Nowaki kissed the top of Hiroki's head. "Go ahead, Hiro-san…"

"Mmm…mm… aaaah…" Hiroki moaned, softly, and he felt Nowaki's cock stiffen against his own as they both came together, grunting and moaning, softly.

Nowaki panted a little, kissing his lover's sweaty forehead and laying him down, gently on his side of the bed, lying atop the brunette so that he could hold his lover still while they slept.

"Sweet dreams, Hiro-san."

"Nowaki…" Hiroki whispered, softly, fingers laced with Nowaki's. "…Stay with me tomorrow."

"I take it you're not going to the university to work?" Nowaki smiled.

"I value my life… too many people would kill me if I showed up… besides… resting… it's not so bad, it seems…" Hiroki whispered. "Nowaki… your birthday… what would you like, again?"

"Mm…" Nowaki smiled into his lover's neck. "…I want to wake up to Hiro-san's face, the morning of my birthday… so no breakfast in bed, okay?"

"Nn… just 'cause it's your birthday doesn't mean you don't have to make breakfast." Hiroki grumbled, sleepily, and Nowaki laughed at that.

"Second, I want Hiro-san not to be in any pain."

"Mmm…"

"Third, I want Hiro-san to smile a little… I also want Hiro-san to be happy… I want Hiro-san to relax and enjoy himself… and me…"

"You bastard… ask for something selfish…" Hiroki muttered, tiredly.

"…I want to xxx Hiro-san's xxx while he xxx's my xxx and I'll put my xxx in Hiro-san's xxx and xxx on his xxx until he xxx's…"

"…" Hiroki's eyes opened wide, nearly bulging as Nowaki chuckled, sleepily.

"So get better soon, Hiro-san."

"…Baka."

-..- . -..-

Thursday afternoon

Misaki stared up at the cloudy sky with a frown. "…Shinobu…?"

"What?" Shinobu called, watching as Risako tied Aikawa's hair up for her.

"Doesn't it look like it's going to rain to you?" Misaki asked, pointing.

"What're you talking about? The sky is blue, the sun is shining-"

"The sky is gray and the sun is hidden behind the clouds." Risako huffed. "Don't ever let your little happy la-la-land inside your head distract you THAT much from reality. This is stupid- no one will come for a car wash if it's going to rain!"

"They'll come! The sky doesn't rain soap!" Shinobu snapped, raising a bottle.

Aikawa laughed, softly. "I love that optimistic spirit of yours, Takatsuki-kun! Let's all do our best today!"

"You could at least hike your shirt up a little." Shinobu told her, and both women glowered at him.

"Don't press your luck." They snapped in unison.

"Sempai?" Misaki turned from watching the potential catfight between women v.s. uke to peer over at his senior, who was leaning against Usami's car, reading a book.

"Mm?" The bespectacled teen glanced up.

"…Want to help me mix some soap with some water??" Misaki asked.

"Not really… we already have like four buckets and very few people have come. I asked my father to come by for a wash, and he laughed in my face this morning."

"I also asked niichan to come… he apologized but said he wasn't going to drive all the way out here just for a car wash, when it was going to rain anyway." Misaki pouted.

"Where'd Usami-sensei go?" Sumi inquired.

"He went to get everyone some water." Misaki pointed to a gas station a little down the street.

"…Doesn't that gas station have a car wash?" Risako fumed. "Why would we set up base right down the street from a well-known car wash?!"

"It's broken down, that's why I chose this location. There're surely people who don't know, who will go to the car wash so as to wash their cars, and then, realizing it's broken, think: oh no… now what?' and that's when they'll see us!"

"That would normally be a great idea, except that it's going to rain." Risako sighed, folding her arms. "…I can't believe I let you talk me into this- how come You isn't here?!"

"Miyagi-Professor? Yeah! How come your boyfriend isn't helping?!" Misaki huffed.

"Helping _what?" _Sumi inquired without glancing up from his book.

"He's working late again." Shinobu pouted. "I tried to talk him into coming… he said that's something large-breasted teenage girls do, and that I was doing it was laughable…"

"I'm back." Usami returned with a bag full of bottled water. He passed out the water bottles and glanced, curiously at a bucket of brown goop. "…Err… what's this one for?"

"Customer!" Misaki cheered, pointing, as a car pulled in when it noticed Aikawa and Risako holding up the sign.

"Good afternoon, sir!" Aikawa smiled, all friendly-like, "Would you like a nice car wash today?"

"Yes, you two girls do it, please. I'll tip you well."

"Oh, thank you, sir!" The two got to work and Sumi snickered.

"Every customer asks the women… why did we even come? Misaki, take off your shirt, we'll get more customers!" He teasingly tugged at the back of Misaki's shirt and the boy flushed, struggling to keep his shirt down.

"Quit it, sempai!"

"Enough." Usami huffed. "The only person who may see Misaki without his shirt is me."

"But think of all the customers." Sumi snickered as he continued antagonizing his junior.

"I agree." Shinobu assisted Sumi and Misaki gawked.

"Get away from me! Shinobu, don't sell your friends' bodies! You're extremely smart, you don't have to sink that low! As for you, sempai, if you want any more of my lit notes-!!"

"Thank you very much!" Aikawa and Risako waved as the customer drove off with a squeaky clean car.

"How much did he give?" Shinobu raised out his jar, wiggling it around.

"He was such a perv! He kept staring at my breasts the whole time." Aikawa huffed, smile fading as she dropped the money into the jar. "The tip wasn't worth it- he only left twenty five hundred yen…"

"NOT WORTH IT." Risako agreed.

"That's not bad for a car wash…" Shinobu huffed. "You have to look at things on the bright side! Now go back to holding the sign and shake those money-makers."

"What the hell did you just say?" Risako snapped, annoyed, and Shinobu raised the jar and lowered it a few times, listening to the money inside. "What's this? The sound of my dreams not coming true?"

"Gugh…" Risako returned to her sign-holding and Shinobu snickered. Aikawa laughed softly at his bratty attitude toward his sister.

Another, more familiar looking car pulled up, and the window rolled down. Shinobu ran up to it, excitedly, grabbing the bucket of goop on his way.

"What are you guys doing?" Miyagi asked, poking his head out. "Don't you know it's supposed to storm, soon?"

"You know very well what we're doing! We're-"

"Making Shinobu's dreams come true." Risako cut off her little brother.

"The Radio station postponed their competition." Miyagi snapped, annoyed.

The group fell silent.

"…So do you want a car wash, or not?" Shinobu snapped.

"My car's not dirty." Miyagi snapped, annoyed.

Shinobu emptied the contents of his bucket, watching as the goop sloshed all over the side of Miyagi's car. "It is now."

"YOU BRAT! I WAS GOING TO DONATE MONEY ANYWAY! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Shinobu pulled off his shirt and raised a sponge. "Want me to clean in?"

Miyagi fumed before pointing at Aikawa. "I want _**her**_ to do it."

Risako and Shinobu both gawked at him, furiously, jaws dropping as Aikawa giggled and took the sponge from Shinobu, hurriedly getting to work.

Miyagi closed the door to the car and moved to stand beside the others, annoyed. "So how's it going?"

"We've had about seven customers in four hours." Risako sighed.

"Well… if it's something that's making Shinobu happy, and you two are spending time together, I guess I can't complain, too much."

"We're doing a car was when the radio station postponed it, and it's going to rain. No one will feel any ill-will toward you if you complain about Shinobu's stupidity." Risako teased.

"I will." Shinobu snapped.

Suddenly a limousine pulled up.

Shinobu's eyes went wide with stars, Sumi, Risako, Miyagi, and Misaki all gawked, and Usami groaned.

SLOSH.

The limo came to a stop, and the door opened. Out stepped Usami Haruhiko, whose eyes fell quickly onto Misaki.

"Usagi-ani!" Misaki greeted, shocked.

"Well well, fancy meeting you here… what's going on?" He asked.

"Car wash!" Misaki smiled. "Want to help?"

"A car wash?" Haruhiko arched a brow, glancing up at the sky.

"Err, I know the weatherman SAID it would rain and storm, but… that guy's always wrong, right?" Misaki laughed, nervously.

"Want a car wash?" Shinobu asked, suddenly materializing right beside the man, who turned with a start.

"Ah… my limousine isn't…" He trailed off, realizing the entire side was caked with mud. "…Oh… Driver must have… well, alright, then, I suppose…" He folded his arms and watched as Risako headed over. "But I want Misaki to do it."

"All of it, by myself?" Misaki pouted.

"Misaki and…"

Usami glowered at his brother. If he asked him, he would mutilate the bastard in his sleep.

"Usagi-san, will you help me, please?" Misaki, completely unaware of his faux pas, called to his lover as he struggled to get some caked on mud off of the rim of one of the wheels.

Usami was more than willing to help if it was Misaki asking, though, so he headed over to assist his lover.

"Usagi-ani, huh?" Sumi looked the man over, interestedly. "I'm Sumi Keiichi, Misaki's sempai at M. Uni. I think we may have met once or twice."

"I remember, you're the author Sumi's son, aren't you?" Haruhiko shook hands with him, anyway, then turned back to watching Misaki, who was kneeling down, his little rump in the air, as he struggled to clean the wheels.

Sumi inwardly snickered. He'd be sure to tell Misaki later, that his lover's brother was checking out his ass while he was idiotically waving it around for all to ogle. "How's business?" He asked.

"Fine. School?"

"Fine, save for my literature class, instructed by one Kamijou Hiroki."

"…Ah… I remember him. He was Akihiko's childhood friend…" Haruhiko smirked.

"Yeah… but I think my grade's gotten better since he was hospitalized."

"Hospitalized? Perhaps I should pay him a visit." The man had a torturous glint in his eyes, which Sumi didn't catch.

"Well, I heard a rumor that he checked himself out, prematurely."

"Perhaps I'll pay him a visit at home…"

"I'd advise against it." Miyagi spoke up, not missing the look on Haruhiko's face at the mentioning of the younger man. "He doesn't like visitors much." He smiled, fakely.

Shinobu blinked, glancing from one man to the other, then to Sumi, who was distractedly staring at Usami's back-side. Shinobu followed _his _gaze and flushed deeply, quickly running over to tell both Usami as well as Misaki that cleaning the underside of the car was unnecessary.

"Yours is done, by the way." Aikawa told Miyagi who smiled.

"I'll hang out for a bit, thank you- it looks great, thank you very much." Miyagi handed over some money. Shinobu intercepted it, counting it before putting it in the dream-jar.

"HEY, TEAM SILVER!!"

Everyone glanced up and over at a gaggle of young girls setting up camp across the street. Each teenage girl was decked out in skimpy bikini.

Shinobu arched a brow.

"YOU'RE CHEATING BY PARTICIPATING EVEN THOUGH THE CAR WASH WAS CANCELED, SO WE'RE GOING TO SET UP CAMP AND RUN YOU OUT OF BUSINESS!"

"We're not cheating! We just found out!" Shinobu called back. "And who gets back at cheaters by cheating, too?"

"Err… WHERE ARE YOUR GIRLS, TEAM HOMO?!"

"Yeah, team homo?!"

"I _like _homos! Go team homo!"

"…No, Sakura, they're our competitors…"

"Oh… We're gonna take you down, team homo!"

"We have girls on our team…" Misaki huffed, pointing at Aikawa and Risako, who watched the girls, bemused.

"…We said GIRLS, not BAGS! Ah- is that why you chose the name team SILVER? Ohohoho!"

Shinobu gawked, turning slooowly to his sister, who didn't seem very affected by the insult, nor did Aikawa.

"It's true that we're older, but with age comes experience… not to mention, a full rack."

"Yeah, we'll hear out your complaints when you grow some breasts, there, chibi-tan-tachi." Aikawa called with a feminine snicker as Risako giggled.

"Ah-" The girls gawked, furiously, each stammering over their own separate arguments.

"Thank you very much." Haruhiko put a check into Shinobu's jar. "I think I'll leave before things get out of hand. Good luck, Misaki. The limo looks like new."

"Thank you very much!"

"Cleaning the underside was a tad unnecessary, though…"

"It was no big deal!" Misaki smiled.

"Take care, then."

"You, too! Keep dry!"

"…You… too?" Haruhiko trailed off. Misaki was already soaked to the bone. "Try to keep warm."

"I'll keep him warm." Usami snapped, pulling Misaki away from Haruhiko.

"I'd better get going, too." Miyagi muttered as he and the others watched Haruhiko head off.

"Don't go yet." Shinobu pouted. "I just came up with an ingenious plan to get more customers!"

"I think throwing mud on people's cars is working out pretty well for you." Miyagi snapped.

"That's thinking too small! What if… we set up camp by that bush over there, had you drive your car up behind it, parked it, and then had Usami-sensei's car drive out the other side! It'd look like we turn even the crappiest of cars into beautiful sports cars!"

". . . Heh heh heh…" Miyagi laughed, pissed. "So, I guess my _crappy _car is too good to give you a lift home, then?"

"I don't need a lift home-"

Suddenly thunder boomed as a bolt of lightning crashed across the sky. The girls across the street screamed and scattered, driving hurriedly away.

"Dumb girls." Shinobu huffed. "Don't they know they are supposed to be wearing the radio station's t-shirts, too?"

"Maybe that's why they made them white… so when you get wet, you can see through them…" Misaki huffed, glancing down at his soaking shirt.

"…" Miyagi glanced idly over at Aikawa and Risako, who both gawked, covering their chests. Risako glowered at him, Aikawa simply turned away, blushing coyly.

"MIYAGI!" Shinobu caught it immediately, and fumed, picking up another bucket of mud.

"Hey, hey, hey, take it easy!" Miyagi snapped, taking the bucket quickly away. "I was just admiring the catchy logo is all- err… let's get out of here, Shinobu, I need help cleaning my apartment, if you recall."

"Well how much did we earn?" Aikawa inquired as she shivered, slightly.

"I'm counting it…" Misaki was calculating with a calculator while Shinobu separated the money. "Let's see… okay… and the check… and the last one… equals… seventy four thousand yen…"

"That's not too ba…" Shinobu trailed off before slowly turning to Misaki. "…Come again?"

"…" Misaki gawked at the results himself before hitting clear and calculating again. "…It's true… the total comes to seventy four thousand yen…" (1)

"…" Shinobu slowly turned to Miyagi, who shook his head, vigorously. "No way! I only forked over thirty two hundred!" (2)

"…That limo guy wrote a check… how much was on it?" Shinobu reached for the check and whistled. "Wow… he must _really _like you, Misaki…"

Usami glowered, pulling out his checkbook and writing his own check.

"Usagi-san! NO!" Misaki groaned. He didn't need to deal with any piss wars between the two brothers right now.

"Shut up, Takahashi!" Shinobu snapped, nudging him before holding the jar out, avariciously.

"You have to admire his drive…" Aikawa chuckled, accepting Sumi's jacket when he handed it to her.

"I'd call him a greedy son of a bitch if it weren't for the sake of two other people…" Risako scoffed.

"Thank you for your donation. Do you want me to sling some mud on your car so we can clean it?" Shinobu offered.

"That's… really not necessary." Usami replied.

"You sure? We have one bucket of mud left."

"I'm sure."

"Think we'll win?" Misaki asked as he turned to the others. His eyes accidentally fell on Risako's chest; the wet, white shirt clinging to her colored bra practically magnetized his gaze. His cheeks turned red and he quickly looked away.

Shinobu glanced over, confused before gawking, and averting his gaze, too.

"Neesan! Your chest!"

"Hah, the only two REAL gentlemen in the group, it seems." Aikawa chuckled as Risako covered herself with a jacket, as well.

"Oh, I'm gay." Usami and Sumi informed her, fundamentally uninterested in the women's well endowed front-sides.

"I'm not, but I've seen underneath." Miyagi shrugged.

"Enough about boobs." Sumi huffed. "We'd better call it a night. Let me know if we need to do it again, Misaki- oh… let's take a picture before we go."

"Yeah, a picture!" Misaki cheered.

"No thanks." Aikawa and Risako declined.

"You can stand behind Takahashi-kun and Shinobu, it'll be fine." Miyagi took the camera from Sumi, who quickly showed him how to operate it.

"Make sure the flash is off." Sumi instructed before hurrying into the group.

"Okay… err… Sumi-kun, is your hand supposed to look like it's touching- okay… whatever…" Miyagi focused. "Okay, everybody ready? On three… one… two… three…" He clicked and lightning flashed.

"I said no flash!" Sumi snapped.

"That wasn't me!" Miyagi laughed. "You need to tell someone else." He pointed to the sky and Sumi huffed.

"One more!"

"Eh? It turned out okay… I'm scared I'll be electrocuted…" Miyagi showed Sumi.

"From taking a picture?"

"I saw a picture once of a woman right before she was hit!" Shinobu exclaimed. "Her hair was standing up on end- just like Takahashi-kun's is!"

"WHAT?!" Misaki ducked and Shinobu laughed at him. "That's not funny!"

"Alright, let's go home…" Aikawa sighed, turning to Sumi. "Would you like a ride?"

"I was going to ride with Misaki and Usami-sensei."

"…You're the only one who's not wet…" Aikawa noticed, suddenly.

"…I'm… a little wet…"

"Wait, did you clean a single car?"

"…I threw mud on one- I helped…" He argued, and Misaki snickered.

"And I felt bad about being all wet, Sumi-sempai, you should be the one feeling guilty!"

"Why? Because you can't see through my shirt?"

"Can you, really?" Misaki glanced down and Usami glanced over, suddenly realizing he could see Misaki's nipples perfectly through the thin, wet, white fabric.

The cigarette dropped from his mouth.

"It's cold- let's go before we all catch pneumonia." Risako suggested.

"Miyagi, I'm cold, too! Warm me up!" Shinobu huffed, pulling closer to Miyagi, who pushed him away.

"No way, you're all wet! I'll warm you up when we get home, and you're dry."

"Miyagi, don't say stuff like that in public!"

"Stuff like what? Gah-!!"

"That reminds me," Sumi turned to Misaki with a small smile. "Don't forget what we discussed."

"Discussed?" Shinobu blinked, glancing over.

"Nothing car-wash related… I've just decided there's too much emphasis placed on sex, with Sumi-sempai's help, that is… I've decided…"

"…Decided?" The others blinked.

"I'm saving for marriage!" Misaki announced.

"…Yeah, nice try." Usami grabbed him up and headed to his car, depositing him in the front seat, rounding the front, waving goodbye, indifferently, getting in, and speeding off.

"…Huh…" Aikawa stared after them before turning to Sumi. "…Well? Want a ride?"

"…Yes, please."

"Take care, then! Contact me if we need to try once more!" Aikawa waved to Shinobu.

"Thanks for helping!" Shinobu waved back.

Aikawa closed the door after climbing into her car. She then drove off, Sumi in her passengers' seat.

"…Goodnight, you two." Risako turned to Miyagi and Shinobu, smiling.

"Risako, good to see you again…" Miyagi smiled, nodding to her. "And Saki and Rei, too!"

"…DO NOT NAME MY BREASTS, YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!" She exploded at him, covering her already covered chest as she fumed.

Shinobu looked absolutely disgusted. "Night Risako-rin…"

"Keep warm." She smiled to him, winking, before getting into her car.

Both waved goodbye until she was gone- then the meaning behind her words dawned on them, and they both glanced at one another before it began to rain.

"…Rain…" Miyagi sighed, annoyed. "…You know… it's not so bad…"

"…What rain?" Shinobu headed to Miyagi's crappy car. "Let's go home."

"…Yeah, okay."

-..- . -..-

**AN: **That's it for chapter 11, was mostly Terrorist-centric. Next chapter starts off with some Romantica smut (wanted to squeeze it in at the end of this chapter, but is already too long…

**Chapter 12 summary: **Usami craps on Shinobu's dreams, Hiroki confronts Nowaki about the seriousness of their relationship and whether or not they're ready to go to 'the next' level… while trying to determine what that is, exactly… and Misaki makes a decision. (As for Miyagi… he's still pretty busy between work and cleaning his apartment XD)

**Extra Chapter Spoiler(s): **Inspired by a picture, (was it from the artbook?) of all three couples coming together. 3

(1) 74,000 yen is over 700 U.S. dollars (or over 900 Australian dollars / 396 British pounds / 7,800 Mexican pesos)

(2) 3,200 yen is a little over 30 U.S. dollars (or almost 40 Australian dollars / 17 British pounds / 340 Mexican pesos)

Just translating it to a couple, sorry if I left out your currency… (trying not to be culturally narrow-minded)


	12. Seme Day and Uke Day

**Warnings: **Yaoi ** and crack.**

**SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**Chapter 12 Summary: **The seme have a seme day and the uke have an uke day after everyone has a drunken dinner together. Shinobu wants to gain some experience from uke day with the more experienced uke of his group, Misaki gets to vent ( a lot XD ) and Kamijou obtains some hefty blackmail. Meanwhile, the seme struggle over what gifts to buy their precious uke. Includes more confrontations, revelations, and more humor than is indicated by this crappy summary.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Junjou Romantica, Junai Romantica, Junai Egoist, or anything.

-..- . -..- This separates time differences or shows what's happening elsewhere.

... These encase flashbacks.

**(**_**Cultural and reference notes at end of chapter)**_

_**-..- I apologize in advance for the cracky content of this chapter. -..-**_

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 12: Seme Day and Uke Day**

-..- . -..-

Thursday Night

Misaki counted backward from ten to one in his head as he was promptly dumped on his bed.

'10…9…8…'

He watched as Usami pulled off his own shirt and tossed it across the room.

'7…6…5…'

Then he watched as his lover pushed him into the warmth of the mattress and reached for the waste-line of his pants. If he didn't do something to stop it, he'd get swept up in the passion and perhaps inevitably end up hurt…

'4…3..2…'

Usami licked his lips, tugging at the brunette's pants. It was only a possibility… but was he willing to chance it?

'1.'

"Usagi-san…" Misaki placed his hand over Usami's when he tugged downward, but Usami didn't stop.

Misaki placed his hands on Usami's biceps when his lover pushed him deeper into the mattress they often shared, made love on, and he kissed him, but he didn't stop.

Misaki tangled his fingers, tightly, in the hair of his lover's head as it nestled in his lap and brought him pleasure, but, still, Usami didn't stop.

Misaki held his breath. Was he not trying hard enough? Was saying 'no,' 'wait,' or 'stop' not enough? Was it good that Usami continued his assaults, kissed him passionately, nipped at him hungrily, licked him, longingly…? Was it bad?

His lover could say things and do things that were romantic, in their own odd way, and Misaki could see the love in Usami Akihiko's eyes when their gazes met, both in bed, and out of bed…

But if he really refused… if he really rejected Usami's sexual advances…

"Ah-!!" Misaki cried out as he came. His eyes shut tightly as he threw his head back, arched, and shuddered violently as his seed shot down his lover's throat.

He sank back into that damning mattress.

"Misaki… You're wet…" Usami stared at his lover's chest through the transparent white shirt he wore, eying his nipples which were erect from the cold.

"Usagi-san…" Misaki's eyes watered, slightly, as Usami stared at him, lustfully. "…Can we just stop, here?"

Usami laughed, softly, unbuttoning his own pants. "Why do you even bother saying 'stop' anymore, when you know it's not what you really want?"

"Usagi-san…" Misaki whispered, covering himself and bringing his knees together, closing his legs and covering his chest, shoulders shrugging as he stared at his knees, struggling to work up the courage to ask what he needed to ask.

Usami suddenly noticed Misaki's change in mood. "…Misaki?"

"Usagi-san… The way we met… the way we got together… we didn't fall in love first… you… you had sex with me… and then… it's true that I fell in love… but… Usagi-san… if we don't… if we never…"

"Misaki, what's the matter?" Usami sighed, lighting up a smoke. "If this is more problems revolving around Hiroki-"

"Usagi-san…" Misaki raised his eyes, locking his gaze with Usami, hoping that after his question was asked, that he would still see the same warmth and love in those eyes. "If we never had sex, would you still love me?"

Usami stared at his lover, stupefied.

After a long silence, in which Misaki had _hoped _Usami had been taking a moment to consider this, the man spoke.

"What?"

Misaki licked his lips and swallowed, even more nervous with every passing second that his fears weren't confirmed to be nonsensical. "I know it's stupid to say 'what if' and stuff… because what happened, happened, and what is, is… so if we weren't to have sex anymore… would you still love me?"

"…" Usami blinked a couple of times. "Is this hypothetical? You mean if you were paralyzed from the waist down or something?"

"Ah…" Misaki also blinked, caught off guard. "…Well… you can look at it hypothetically, yes…"

"Even if you were paralyzed, we could still have sex."

Misaki's eyes narrowed in irritation. "That's not the point I- what do you _mean, _we could still have sex?!"

"You still have a mouth."

. . .

'10…9…8…'

"And just because _you _couldn't feel it, doesn't mean _I-_"

'7-6-5-4-3-2-1!! 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!! 10987654321!!'

"Usagi-san… I mean if there was NO sex at all… would you still love me?" Misaki snapped.

"Why should there be a need to have no sex?" Usami asked, obviously having trouble grasping the concept of a sexless relationship. "You mean… like… if I was a cherry, and you were a cherry, and we were attached at the stem? We couldn't have sex, but we'd still be together- of course I'd still love you."

"…I can try to decipher that and turn it into something romantic, but Usagi-san, what I'm asking is, if you were a human, and sometimes I DOUBT you are, and I were a human, which I KNOW I AM, and I told you I was saving for marriage or something, would you still love me?!"

"…Of course I would." Usami stared, deadpan.

"THANK YOU!! THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO KNOW!!"

"But that whole 'saving for marriage' thing just wouldn't fly." Usami shrugged.

". . . Why not?" Misaki glared.

"Misaki…" Usami snubbed out his cigarette and folded his arms. "I know you've protested when it came to sex in the past-"

"And you've completely disregarded any protest I've ever thrown at you and just had your way with me, anyway!"

"So? I never hurt you- and you always enjoy it, so what's wrong? You don't have any religious reasons not to have sex, and you finally seem to be getting over the fact that I'm a man, so why are you bringing it up now, so suddenly?"

"Because you obviously lust for me, and I want to know if you really love me for who I am or if you just like using my body!" Misaki fumed, struggling not to cry. Why did he even feel like crying? This was so stupid! Why did Usagi-san have to make it so difficult? Why was there a lump burning in his throat? Why did his chest feel so tight?

Why?

WHY?!

"Misaki…" Usami placed a hand on his lover's head and pulled him into a tight embrace. "…Misaki… if you're just questioning how much I love you, or if I love you for the wrong reasons… there's no need… Of course I love you for who you-"

The two were interrupted by a phone ringing.

"…I'm sorry… I'm stupid." Misaki pulled his pants up and hurried off to answer the phone, thoroughly embarrassed.

'When did I turn into such a girl?' Misaki fumed at himself as he approached the ringing piece of junk technology.

He picked up the phone, annoyed.

"Moshi moshi?"

-..- . -..-

Thursday Night

"Do you think Kusama-san is home?" Shinobu asked as he held a box. Miyagi stood beside him, holding a box in one arm and knocking on the door with the other.

"I'm not sure," he replied, "But if he is, no ogling. I'm capable of jealousy, you know."

"A well-respected professor who gets jealous at a med student is embarrassing to say the least." Shinobu huffed before looking away with a sly smile. "Besides, you're not too bad looking."

"…You're not too bad looking, either, you little bastard." Miyagi obviously didn't feel this was much of a compliment.

Shinobu smirked. "What's wrong, Miyagi? Want me to say sweet nothings like: you're sooo sexy, and: you make my nether regions quiv-"

"Yes...?" Nowaki paused, blinking as he opened the door. He had caught what Shinobu had said and watched, amused, as the boy's face flushed a deep crimson red. Miyagi grinned, waving.

"Hello! Is Kamijou home?" Miyagi smiled.

"No," Kamijou called from somewhere inside, "He went for a jog!"

"You don't have to be sarcastic, Kamijou-Tentei!" Miyagi huffed as Nowaki moved to let them inside, nervously.

Kamijou had just had a couple of visitors an hour or so before, so he wasn't sure if his lover was open to welcoming even more unexpected guests.

Miyagi pulled a humiliated Shinobu inside and headed over to the couch, where Kamijou was sitting, reading a book, foot propped up on a soft-looking padded stool Nowaki had obviously bought.

"Kamijou- you look much better!" Miyagi praised, setting his box on the floor before taking Shinobu's box.

"You here to stay?" Kamijou muttered, still reading.

"Just for a bit, if you don't mind." Miyagi beamed.

Kamijou closed his book and knocked some junk off of the seat next to him, gesturing for Shinobu to sit, which he did.

"Would you like some drinks?" Nowaki asked. "I was just about to make some cinnamon tea."

"Sure, thank you very much."

"Thank you." Shinobu parroted.

Nowaki smiled and headed into the kitchen.

"Miyagi, you can sit- there's a chair somewhere… under some random pile of books…" Kamijou looked around for it.

"That's alright, I've been sitting all day at work- my legs could use the stretch." Miyagi shrugged, opening his box. "Speeeaking of whiiich…"

"Eh?" Kamijou blinked as Miyagi pulled out a stack of papers.

"I'm sick of doing all your work, so here you go."

Shinobu's jaw dropped. "MIYAGI! YOU OFFERED TO DO IT! WHAT IS IT WITH **YOU** AND **NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY**?!"

"It's alright." Kamijou took the papers, more than happily. "This is his way of being kind."

"…Hah?" Shinobu blinked.

"With you, I can be kind directly, Shinobu-chin. With Kamijou, I have to make like I'm overworked so he won't get mad that I'm looking out for him, as usual- but _someone _has to, since he hasn't been doing it properly himself."

Kamijou made a face and Shinobu shrugged.

"Leave the past in the past, Miyagi- Kamijou-sensei has changed for the better. Ne? Kamijou-sensei??"

"Mm…" Kamijou grumbled something.

"Right, right! You did make a promise not to do stupid things anymore!" Miyagi grinned, annoyed. "And then you checked yourself out, from what I heard."

Kamijou glared up at him. "That's none of your business."

"Shinobu-chin." Miyagi continued smiling. "Go help Kusama-san."

"…" Shinobu glanced from Miyagi to Kamijou, a tad nervously, before heading into the kitchen after Nowaki. He didn't like the idea of leaving Miyagi alone with this guy (ever), but he _did _like the idea of their arguing… more importantly, Miyagi seemed like he had something he really needed to get out of his system, and even though he'd agreed to take on the extra load, it was really crappy of Kamijou to do what he did and risk forcing even more work on the teen's lover in the long run.

So he retreated to the kitchen to catch up with his very tall, very kind friend, Kusama-san.

Miyagi plopped down beside Kamijou, still smiling. "…I have to talk to you about a couple of things, Kamijou."

"What's that?" Kamijou huffed, not looking at him.

"The first thing I wanted to talk to you about was a person."

"A person?" Kamijou looked up, blinking. He thought he was going to get scolded.

"Usami Haruhiko."

Kamijou made a face. "What about him?"

"Has he stopped by?"

"DOES HE KNOW WHERE I LIVE?!" Kamijou panicked, nearly standing, but Miyagi held his arm, annoyed.

"I don't know… but he sure seemed interested in you when he found out you were hurt… is he someone to be worried about?"

"When did YOU see him?" Kamijou asked, flabbergasted.

"Radio Station sponsored car wash- it was a random encounter- He seemed interested in Takahashi-kun… but when your injury came up, he gave me this really weird, really creepy vibe."

"…Well I can't imagine anyone better suited to sense weird and creepy vibes… just how did _that _come up in conversation and what the hell do you mean you saw him at a… radio… station… sponsored-?"

"Err…" Miyagi doubted Kamijou was the type to listen to radio stations, but still, if he'd heard about the station's odd car wash challenge, he might put two and two together and realize they had been trying to win him those tickets to Canada. "…More importantly," he changed the subject, "Who's this Usami Haruhiko character? When your name was mentioned, he seemed to know you. I figured, since you knew that novelist, he must-"

Kamijou frowned. "He's Akihiko's older brother… he's always tried to take away anything and everything that Akihiko has ever liked or loved or had. Ever since he was a kid…"

"…Including his best friend?"

"Sort of…" Kamijou grumbled, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, he can try to come visit- considering my mood, he won't last long."

Miyagi smiled. "Glad I don't have to worry about you then… NOW." His smile faded completely and he put on his rarely seen stern and furious face. Kamijou blinked, startled at the sudden change in demeanor. "If you do something stupid like what you did at the hospital again, I'll send you right back there with more than a mere appendix, leg wound, fever, and pneumonia... Or bubonic plague, or WHATEVER the hell is wrong with you. Get better soon, so I don't have to keep picking up your slack- you know I don't like ACTUALLY having to do my work." And again, he was all smiles and joking, just as Nowaki entered with Shinobu.

"Hiro-san, I made you some, even though you said you didn't want any, in case you changed your mind." Nowaki stated.

"Thank you, I did." Kamijou held his hands out for his cup and Nowaki laughed, handing it over.

"There's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about… but I guess it'll have to wait." Miyagi sighed. "I need to talk to you about it alone."

"Alone?" Kamijou huffed. "Is it about work?"

"Yeah."

"If you need some alone time to talk about work, I was just about to prepare dinner." Nowaki smiled. "Takatsuki-kun can help me and you two can stay for dinner."

"That would be great!" Shinobu sparkled.

"Yeah, that's fine… don't let him help too much." Kamijou huffed and Shinobu shot him a glower as he headed into the kitchen with Nowaki.

"Takatsuki-kun, I saw your sister this evening." Nowaki told the boy as he handed him a cabbage.

"What are we making?" Shinobu blinked.

"Vegetable stir fry. Sound okay?"

"I hate cabbage."

"Ah… well, if you'd like, we can make something else."

"This is fine- I should learn to eat more green, leafy vegetables… they're good for you, I guess…" Shinobu shrugged. "So you saw my sister? … How do you even know who she is?"

"She came to visit Hiro-san, today, and he told me she was your sister… and that professor's ex-wife, I guess…?"

"SHE KNOWS KAMIJOU-SENSEI??"

"Well, she was married to that guy, from what I gathered, so she stopped by the office once or twice… from what I heard… anyway, she came by about an hour ago with a woman with reddish hair who claimed to be a big fan… also, they came upon the request of one of Hiro-san's students. By the time they all left, I was very, very confused… I guess the student… um… Sumi-kun? He wanted to tell Hiro-san about what happened the day his leg got hurt- and he wanted to return something. Anyway, your Nee-san was going to do a girl's night out thing with her red-headed friend, but they brought Sumi-kun over first. Oh-! But they left some delicious cakes!"

"Must have been Aikawa-san… what do you mean by 'girl's night out?' Risako was having one of those with Aikawa-san?"

"A girl's night out is when two or more female friends go out for a day or evening and have fun as friends, I suppose." Nowaki turned on the stove. "You know… girls would probably talk about guys or their love lives or… something to that extent."

"Or lack thereof." Shinobu snickered. "…Hmm …a friends' day…"

He began mulling over this concept out loud. Nowaki watched, interested.

"Gay guys can't really do that… can we?" He frowned. "Well!" He perked. "I have Takahashi-kun, now! We can identify with one another and talk about that sort of thing!"

"Oh?" Nowaki smiled. "That must be nice. I can't really talk to anyone about Hiro-san without intentionally giving them the impression he's a woman."

"Really?" Shinobu frowned. "I would think Kusama-san is the type of person who wouldn't care about what others think…"

"… It's difficult." Nowaki frowned, wondering if Shinobu wanted or needed to talk to someone, not merely due to need a friend to listen, but perhaps needing some kind of guidance with regard to how to go about engaging in a homosexual relationship without ruining his chances for success outside of his love-life. "…Because I have to put my career first so that I can come to stand on equal ground as Hiro-san… besides, Hiro-san doesn't like to be loud about our relationship…"

"So there's no one that knows?" Shinobu frowned. "It's like a dark secret?"

"Not really." Nowaki laughed. "I have one or two friends who know. My sempai knows- the blonde man at the hospital? But because he did something foolish that upset Hiro-san, I try not to talk about Hiro-san around him anymore… and while I'm perfectly comfortable in my relationship with Hiro-san, it would be nice to have someone to talk to, sometimes… but… then again, I guess I _should _just talk to Hiro-san about it…"

"…He seems like he'd be the kind of person who is hard to talk to." Shinobu diced up the cabbage with lightning speed.

"Impressive." Nowaki praised with a smile before returning to their conversation. "He can be a little hard to talk to… but only if I talk excessively or gush about him, too much… isn't Miyagi-san the same way?"

"Not really…" Shinobu thought about it. "…We're both pretty open with each other… and… he gushes about _himself_ so much, I really don't have to." He made a face that wasn't quite a smile but wasn't quite a grimace either, to which Nowaki responded with a heart-felt laugh.

"You might tell him what you think of him every now and again. Even if it doesn't seem like it, everyone likes to know they have qualities or traits that their lover loves about them."

"…So…" Shinobu took this to heart, but continued with their conversation, "You have other seme friends, though, right? What about Usami-san?"

Nowaki laughed at that. "He's more like a rival, so it's hard to see him as a friend."

"Then… Then Miyagi will be your friend!"

"I punched him in the neck, I don't think he likes me very much."

"Punched him in the neck?!" Shinobu blinked. "…Ah- you mean that night he was going to hug Kamijou-san."

". . . Hug?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"

Both Shinobu and Nowaki stiffened before hurrying to the living room to see what was wrong.

"YOU'RE JUST KAMIJOU! DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"

"YOU'RE IN _MY_ HOUSE, YOU CAN JUST CALL ME '_KAMI-SAMA'_ HERE, YOU BASTARD!"

The two stood, frozen, watching as the two literary professors (well, professor and associate professor) wrestled on the couch, which toppled over backward, suddenly.

"GUAAH!" Miyagi struggled to keep himself from landing on Kamijou's leg, stomach, or chest, ending up in a very compromising position, (he looked like he was playing twister or something), hovering over Kamijou, who was currently glowering daggers at him.

"AHEM." Nowaki folded his arms. "Do you really think it's alright to be attacking a sick, defenseless person?"

"SICK AND DEFENSELESS?! YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT** HE** DID!!"

"No, we saw _you, _attacking a sick and defenseless person… how shameful." Shinobu turned away in shame and Miyagi huffed.

"He dumped tea on my head."

"Hiro-san! If you didn't want it, you should have just said so!" Nowaki huffed, folding his arms as Miyagi slowly, carefully moved out from atop his subordinate.

"OWWW!!"

"What?! I'm sorry!! What?!" Miyagi panicked.

"Nothing." Kamijou picked his ear, and Miyagi gawked. "I WILL GET YOU FOR THAT! And after I brought you such a lovely care package!"

"Care package?" The other three blinked, and Shinobu directed his attention to the other box.

Miyagi headed over to it as Nowaki carefully helped his lover get to his feet- well… _foot. _

Shinobu fixed the couch, annoyed.

"Jaa!" Miyagi set the box on the couch and opened it, pulling out some fresh fruit, some _more _papers to grade, some boxes of herbal tea, vitamins, mineral water, and a random phone strap.

"…What's all this?" Kamijou sighed.

"Well, the fruit and tea should help you to feel better-"

"This?" Kamijou lifted the pink phone strap, decorated with yellow and purple hearts.

"It's a phone strap!"

"…What the hell is it for?"

"It's your lucky item today! A phone strap! I saw that one for cheap, so I bought it for you."

". . ." Kamijou's head sunk from his superior's blatant stupidity and he lowered the phone strap into the box before blinking, pulling out a book. "What's this?"

"Ah- right, some book store called for you and asked you to pick it up, but you weren't there, so I picked it up for you- I expect compensation for that one."

Kamijou smiled at it as though it were the highlight of his week. "Ah! I don't need to grade any papers now that I have this, you can take care of them."

"…No, seriously, most of them are due monday and I can't possibly do all that work without giving up precious sleep time."

"Learn to take responsibility."

"…" Miyagi glowered at Kamijou and Nowaki laughed. "Come on, Takatsuki-kun, we have a dinner to prepare."

"I'd help, but apparently I have a lot of work to do." Kamijou muttered, picking up a paper.

"You have a lot of resting to do, anyway." Nowaki scolded in his gentlest voice.

"Yeah…" Shinobu agreed, following him into the kitchen.

"…About that other thing…" Miyagi frowned. "It's up to you… but I thought… due to your personality… I should tell you what's being said."

"…I agree with you- for once." Kamijou sighed, hugging a cushion to his chest, considering whether he should put it under his leg or if it was even worth moving. His drugs were starting to wear off.

"Which is why it's so important to get all better soon-" Miyagi took the cushion, propped up Kamijou's leg, and placed a pile of paperwork on his lap. "Oh, and look." He pulled a small case out of the 'care package,' and from it, he pulled out Kamijou's glasses. "I even brought your 'these-are-why-women-don't-find-me-to-be-attractive' glasses!"

"…" Kamijou snagged them, annoyed, sliding them on and getting to work with his grading.

As he was reading over one Sumi Keiichi's test, a bubble landed on the page, popping on contact.

The papers crinkled in his hold as he struggled not to tear them to pieces in irritation. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Blowing bubbles- I brought them for you!" Miyagi blew some more.

"…BUBBLES?"

"Seriously, you need to learn to reeelaaax, Kamijou."

"Is this how you relax?" Kamijou's brow twitched. "Do you also have tea parties with stuffed animals? You should hang out with Akihiko!!"

"…He has tea parties with stuffed animals?"

"I don't know—but I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he did." Kamijou massaged his temples, annoyed.

"…" Miyagi glanced into the kitchen to make sure no one was listening in on them before he moved closer to Kamijou to whisper: "…That's the kinda guy you're into?"

Kamijou flushed. "**WAS!**"

"So you WERE into _that _kind of guy?"

"What?! NO!"

"Quit getting worked up over trivial things- if you're going to stress yourself, think about what I was saying to you before you fainted like a fairy-tale princess." He blew some more bubbles and watched as they floated about the room.

"…Talking about… before I black out?" Kamijou blinked. "…What were we talking about?"

"You know, tying the knot and what not." Miyagi blew some more.

"…Tying the knot?" Kamijou asked.

"…" Miyagi glanced again at the kitchen door before leaning close. "I was saying that you need to seriously consider your relationship with that tall guy- do you know _why _he wants to go to Canada so bad?"

"Did I tell you about that??" Kamijou gawked. How feverish had he been??

"Just think about it." Miyagi handed Kamijou the bubbles. "But wait until you're feeling a little better."

"…"

"Now blow." Miyagi dipped the stick in the bubble fluid container and raised the stick in front of Kamijou's mouth.

If looks could kill…

"Hiro-san?!" Nowaki poked his head between the two, suddenly, and both literary department workers jumped slightly at his sudden appearance.

"Ah- what?" Kamijou asked.

"Takatsuki-kun came up with somewhat of a fun idea!"

"Fun idea?" Kamijou arched a brow.

"Can we invite your friend Akihiko and also Takahashi-kun over?"

"Eh?!"

"Yay! A party! I'll go get some booze!" Miyagi got up and grabbed his jacket.

"WHAT?!" Kamijou gawked. "DO YOUR WORK! WAIT A MINUTE!!"

"Please?" Nowaki smiled.

"…" Already knowing he couldn't resist the look his lover was giving him, Kamijou folded.

"…Fine… Professor- get something strong, please."

"Vodka, huh? Any other requests?"

"I have a request." Nowaki scratched the back of his head, and was suddenly interrupted.

"Sake!" Shinobu poked his head out of the kitchen.

". . ."

"WHO LEFT YOU ALONE WITH FOOD?!"

-..- . -..-

"Seme day?" Misaki picked up some chicken with his chopsticks. The food looked delicious, and he sincerely hoped that having some good food put in his stomach would distract Usami from the embarrassing confrontation that had occurred between the two only a half hour earlier. "What is seme day?"

"Seme day, and Uke day. I think it's a good idea- and will help to build strong friendships, as well as aid in strengthening a person's other more… _personal _relationships." Shinobu told his new-found uke-friend.

"…So like… Usagi-san would hang out with Miyagi-professor and I would hang out with you?"

"Yep."

"What about Kusama-san and Kamijou-sensei?"

"I think Kamijou-sensei is uke."

"WHAT'RE THE TWO OF YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Kamijou glanced across the table at the two.

"Drink up, Hiroki."

"More, Hiro-san?"

"Yeah, let's get really drunk, Kamijou!"

The three seme filled Kamijou's glass to the top together.

Kamijou glowered at his drink.

"I heard you're not supposed to mix alcohol and drugs." Shinobu huffed.

"Whoever said anything like that was just a wimp! What do you think, Kamijou? Can you handle a tall glass?" Miyagi asked.

"Yoshi!" Kamijou downed the glass. "I can handle a lot more! Fill it up, again."

"This must be why he always comes home drunk after going to faculty parties." Nowaki laughed, filling his glass, again.

"Misaki, do you drink?" Shinobu asked as he filled up his own cup with whatever strong stuff Kamijou seemed to be getting.

"Shinobu, he said to call him Takahashi! Takahashi-Takahashi-Ta-ka-ha-shiii." Miyagi corrected.

"Ah- who cares? Shinobu, instead of having an uke day, you should come with me and Sumi-sempai to this party this weekend." Misaki stated.

"What party?" Usami snapped, annoyed, glancing from his drunken childhood friend to his lover, who was motioning for Shinobu to stop filling his glass- it was full enough!

"Nothing, nothing, just a college party." Misaki huffed.

"College party? More like a bunch of kids getting drunk and making idiots of themselves." Kamijou huffed.

"Sounds remarkably similar to our faculty parties." Miyagi snickered, pointing at Kamijou.

"You get drunk, too! Last time, you tried to do karaoke with some guy who sounded awful!"

"…That guy was you, Kamijou."

"…" Kamijou fell silent, trying to recall that evening. Upon realizing it _had _been him, he downed another glass and the table busted up laughing.

"_I _sounded pretty good- I just didn't have the right lyrics…" Miyagi defended himself.

"You were singing the children's folk song 'Cherry Blooms' to KimiHana!" Kamijou snapped. (1)

"…Heh heh heh… Oh yeah…"

"'_Heh heh heh_'- ja nai daro!"

"Alright, so what's this seme day thing?" Usami asked, sneaking more sake into Misaki's glass when he wasn't looking.

"Shinobu says there should be a seme day and an uke day- on seme day, the seme go out and have fun, and on uke day, the uke go out and have fun!" Misaki told his lover, noticing that his cup seemed less empty than it had a moment ago.

"So it's like a holiday, right?" Nowaki asked. "A holiday isn't a holiday unless there are presents!"

"I agree, presents!" Usami agreed with the tipsy doctor.

"It should be the same day to make it more convenient." Misaki stated, pouring more sake for himself after he'd finished his glass- it was really good!

"I guess that makes sense…" Shinobu agreed. "…I'm not getting a very good buzz off this stuff…" He looked into his drink, pouting.

"Then you must not be doing it right- how do you suck at drinking?" Kamijou snickered, obnoxiously and the teen glowered at him.

"Hey, Kamijou, your light looks like a boob." Miyagi pointed and Kamijou looked up at their light fixture, blinking.

"Hah hah hah, it does!! Nowaki, we need new light fixtures."

"Yes, Hiro-san." Nowaki stared at the light, squinting, trying to understand how it resembled a breast in any way.

"Am I the only person here who isn't drunk?" Usami asked.

"I'm not _drunk._" Nowaki informed him. "I want to be relatively sober when Hiro-san gets drunk."

"I think he passed drunk about three glasses ago."

"I'm not drunk." Kamijou blatantly lied, swaying from side to side.

"Good, because we haven't even opened _this _yet!" Miyagi placed a bottle of vodka on the table.

"That stuff's hard, isn't it?" Shinobu asked.

"What's wrong, Shinobu-chin, not man enough to handle it?" Miyagi goaded.

"Of course I am! Pour me a glass!"

"Me, too!" Kamijou ordered, holding his glass out.

"What about you, Misaki?" Shinobu asked.

Misaki looked about ready to vomit. "No thanks…" he waved the prospect away and gawked as Shinobu filled his glass, anyway.

"One- two- three!" Kamijou and Shinobu downed their glasses and Misaki hurriedly poured his alcohol into an offering Usami's glass.

"More!" The drunken uke commanded, slamming their empty glasses down at the same time.

"Erm… you've proven your manliness, Shinobu, I think you should probably stop." Miyagi stated.

"You're not supposed to mix different kinds of alcohol…" Nowaki pointed out, nervously.

"Heh heh, yeah, brat, why don't you stay out of a man's game?" Kamijou asked, condescendingly.

"Fill her up, Miyagi!"

"But-"

"I can do it!"

"Me, too!" Kamijou held his glass out.

"I don't want this to be on my hands…" Miyagi pouted, filling the glasses up.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU FILLING THEIR--" Misaki fell silent, covering his mouth as it filled with something,

"…Misaki, you okay?" Usami asked.

Misaki shook his head negatively, hands still clasped over his mouth.

"Need to use the bathroom??" Miyagi's brow twitched.

Misaki nodded, vigorously.

"Through there." Nowaki pointed and Misaki knocked his chair over as he ran for the bathroom.

"WIMP!" Kamijou and Shinobu called after him before staring into their full glasses, equally as nauseous.

"Drink up." Miyagi goaded.

"Yeah, finish what you started." Usami chimed.

"Mmm…" Nowaki pouted. "Hi-Hiro-san, you should probably take it easy, and Takatsuki-kun, you, too…"

"…On three…" Kamijou panted as he stared at his reflection in the glass.

"One…" Shinobu grimaced at his own reflection.

"Two…"

"THREE!" Both uke downed their respective drinks.

"Okay, no more, no more." Miyagi rubbed Shinobu's back as he gasped for air after downing his drink.

"Hiro-san, you've had more than enough, too." Nowaki told his lover, sternly.

"More than enough? Or _too little_?" Usami challenged.

"MORE THAN ENOUGH!" The other two seme snapped.

"Usagi-saan…" Misaki came back into the kitchen, holding his stomach. "I don't feel so good…"

"And he has class tomorrow." Nowaki frowned. "You should probably take him home."

"Good idea." Usami stood, heading over to his lover and patting Misaki's head.

"Here, Misaki!" Shinobu held out a stick of gum.

"Thanks…" Misaki took it, embarrassed. "Shinobu, call me when you get home."

"Un!"

"We should go, too." Miyagi sighed.

"If you leave now, Takatsuki, you fold!" Kamijou snapped.

"No way in hell!" Shinobu reached for the sake bottle and Miyagi snagged it, holding it away.

"You both fold, because it's mine, and I'm taking it… with…" Miyagi tipped the bottle up-side-down, annoyed, watching as a small drip fell to the table. "…How much did you guys…?"

"…I WON!" The two snapped in unison.

"Have fun with him." Usami smirked as he walked out with Misaki.

Nowaki blinked, glancing at Kamijou, who was clearing the table so he could find the drop of vodka that had landed on its polished surface.

"I never did any of my work- and I'm going to have a small hangover tomorrow." Miyagi sighed as he tugged Shinobu toward the door.

"Bye, Kusama-san! Thanks so much for having us!"

"Get well soon, Kamijou! Give the stuff we talked about some thought when you sober up!" Miyagi waved.

"I won for sure, Kamijou-san!" Shinobu was practically dragged out of the apartment.

"You two be sure to call a taxi!" Nowaki waved before closing the door. "…"

"I found it."

"…" Nowaki didn't turn around. He would spare his lover his pride- on the off chance the brunette actually remembered what happened tonight. He most definitely didn't need his lover to be angry at him for something as trivial as watching the adorable drunk lick a drop of vodka off the table.

"Ha ha! I win!"

"Yes, yes…" Nowaki felt it was safe to turn around and he headed over, scooping his lover up and heading into his bedroom. "Let's have you rest up, now."

"No way! I'm going to uke day! I'll win that, too!"

"You can't win a made-up holiday." Nowaki laughed. "And that's tomorrow night."

"I'll show you." Kamijou exclaimed as he was laid in his bed and stripped.

"I'm going to leave a large bowl here for you if you need to throw up." Nowaki told his lover. "I wish you wouldn't have-"

"Don't worry, I've been drinking for so long, it's like water for me! That Takatsuki-kun had about as much chance of beating me as a snowball has in hell!"

Nowaki laughed softly at his lover, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of his eyes. "Hiro-san, you're really cute."

"Nngh…"

"…Hiro-san?" Nowaki frowned. "What did Miyagi-san have to tell you that he couldn't say in front of me?"

"Aaah, lots of things… he asked about Haruhiko and told me some rumors spreading around at work and… nn… reminded me about what he said on Monday."

"Haruhiko?"

"No one… more importantly… he said something about… figuring things out… putting two and two together… Nowaki! Go get my bubbles!"

"Huh?"

"They're in the living room!"

"…" Nowaki sighed, standing and heading out to retrieve the bubbles. When he returned, Kamijou was wearing his lover's night shirt. The taller man laughed, softly. "Hiro-san, kawaii."

"It smells like you, Nowaki." Kamijou mumbled, standing on his knees. He held his hands out for the bubbles and Nowaki handed them over.

Kamijou laid down and blew some in random directions before getting comfortable. "…Nowaki?"

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"Why do you want to go to Canada?"

"…" Nowaki smiled, pulling off his shirt and climbing in beside his lover. "I want to see the Niagara Falls."

"…Why?"

"…Because they're beautiful… why are you asking me that of all things?" He laughed.

"…Blow." Kamijou raised the stick in front of Nowaki's lips and Nowaki smiled, blowing, but the bubble popped before even forming. He pouted.

"Aww, it's sad, somehow." Kamijou snickered, dipping it back into the container and pulling it out. "I'll show you how."

"I know how…"

"Apparently not, baaaakaa." Kamijou smirked, blowing, but again, the bubble popped before leaving.

"I don't think you have enough." Nowaki laughed.

"…Hmm… I wonder if sake would work."

"It wouldn't." Nowaki turned off the lamp beside the bed and hugged Kamijou closer. "…Hiro-san…?"

"Mmm…"

"…I love you."

"…Nowaki…?" Kamijou frowned.

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"…If we… no… you… _we_… never mind… I'm just drunk." He frowned, burying his head in his lover's chest.

Nowaki frowned. "Hiro-san…"

"…Are you really going to hang out with Akihiko and Professor?"

Nowaki cracked a smile. "I don't know. How are you going to hang out when you're supposed to be getting better?"

"This coming from a man who let me drink until I felt sick?"

"…Hmm…" Nowaki smiled. Neither Kamijou nor Shinobu needed to know that the vast amount of drinks they'd consumed had been alcohol-free, as per _his _request.

Too bad Misaki's hadn't been.

-..- . -..-

"Are you guys taking a taxi or do you want a ride?" Usami asked as Shinobu tried showing Misaki he could walk in a straight line just fine.

"ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA!" Shinobu sang.

"I don't know what that is." Misaki muttered, tiredly. "Shinobu- when is uke day?"

"Tomorrow!" Shinobu cheered. "It has to be tomorrow!! The seme has to get the uke a gift! I like gifts." Shinobu took Misaki's scarf and wrapped it around his own neck. "This is my lucky item for today!"

"What?!" Misaki asked, confused.

"…You're not really drunk, are you?" Usami asked Miyagi, quietly.

"Nope, this is pretty much how I always act, unless I'm pissed off." Miyagi smirked.

"And him?"

"Placebo effect?" Miyagi snickered.

"Are you going to be able to get all your work done by monday?"

"Yeah. It was worth putting it off a little to get Kamijou into a better mood. The people at work are starting to spread rumors."

"Like what? That he died?" Misaki glanced over at the two.

"…That he's neglectinghisduties and someotherstupidstufflikethat." Miyagi muttered, quickly. "I'll put an end to all those rumors, don't worry! Old geezers just get mad when they see young, ambitious people who work hard and do just as well as they do! I had to put up with the same kind of crap when I became an associate professor- and I still hear people talking behind my back."

"Really?" Misaki blinked. "I thought everybody liked you- I never hear anything but good things coming from both other faculty members as well as the students- though in all fairness, _they_ like you because you give easy tests."

"Easy compared to Kamijou, maybe." Miyagi huffed. "He has yet to give a test that every student in his class doesn't fail or get a low grade on- requiring a retake."

"…Yeah… I know…" Misaki frowned, shoulders slumping. "Err- why does uke day have to be tomorrow, Shinobu?"

Shinobu whipped two tickets out of his pockets. "Jaa!"

"…What is that?" Usami asked.

"Tickets to Canada!!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"WHAT?! You said your team didn't win!" Miyagi snapped.

"Well, _technically, _we broke the rules by working when the radio station had canceled the car wash, but we still raised the most money, so I decided we won."

"…What do you mean, _you_ decided?" Misaki's face paled.

". . . WHAT MATTERS IS **THEY'RE MINE, NOW!** And I worked hard for them." Shinobu fanned himself with the tickets, proudly.

"What the hell are they for?" Usami asked, deciding he didn't want to know how Shinobu had come to obtain them.

"For Kamijou-san and Kusama-san! They can now get married in Canada!"

". . ." Usami stared at him. "Married?"

"Yep! This weekend!" Shinobu smirked. "And all my dreams will come true!!"

"…It's YOUR dream that those two get mar-"

"Don't bother." Misaki patted his lover on the arm.

"Shinobu-chin… there're… a lot of… complicated things…" Miyagi scratched the back of his head with a sigh.

"Complicated, how?" Shinobu huffed.

"First of all, if it's a flight this weekend, there's no way Hiroki should go, he's still not well." Usami raised a finger before raising a second. "Second, you can't decide for two people when they're ready to make such a huge commitment. Three," He raised his thumb. "Marriage requires a lot of planning _and _money. Four: He's taken enough days off as it is, there's no way he'll get next week off without having it frowned upon- and if he runs off to another country for the weekend and his superiors were to find out, even more rumors would spread about him being perfectly fine while taking time away from work- five: you can't just give those tickets to those two and expect them to get married because you want them to, and lastly-"

"One," Shinobu interrupted, also raising a finger, "He can use a wheelchair and get married in that for all I care! You can be hooked up to life-support and still get married! Two and five: they've been together for six years- of course they'd want to get married! Three: They've got money, and what planning? You walk into a church, pay them, and bam! You're hitched! Four: it's just the weekend and no one has to know, plus the only superior that would know is Miyagi and he won't tell! So don't bother taking a shit on my dreams! I'll make them come true, no matter what!"

"You're like a different person when you're drunk, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi chuckled.

"What was the last one?" Misaki asked Usami.

"Six: I already bought the tickets, as per Hiroki's request." Usami raised his own set and the others gawked.

"WHAT?! THEN WHY DID I GO THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE?!" Shinobu snapped.

". . . You really wanted to, inside?" Misaki snickered, then felt sick again, hunching over, slightly.

"You guys can't just go deciding things for people, you know." Miyagi sighed, patting Misaki on the back.

"But we can give them a push in the right direction." The two snapped back in unison.

"Aah, but now there are four." Shinobu frowned.

"So trade yours in. I'm getting good, hard information with which to use in my next Junai Egoist Novel by giving these to Hiroki." Usami huffed.

"Can't argue with that… too bad I didn't take them by legal means, or I could have gotten one of those neat cell phones instead." Shinobu tucked his away and glanced up at Miyagi. "And you? Have you been subtly encouraging Kamijou-sensei, too?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Because you're an extremely nosey person."

"…And you're a brat."

"Well, it's getting late, and I'm sure you have a lot of work to do." Usami gestured to Miyagi, who grumbled, glancing down into his duffle bag. "…Yeah… Ah- I still have to clean my apartment, though…"

"DO YOUR WORK!" The other three scolded.

"What do YOU care, Takahashi, I saw Kamijou give you a big fat F! I already know YOUR grade!!"

". . ." Misaki's head sank. "After all that studying, I still failed?!"

"He's lying." Shinobu reassured his friend, giving him back his scarf. "No way you'd fail after the tutoring I gave you! Later, Misaki!"

"Goodnight, Shinobu- take care."

"You, too!"

-..- . -..-

Once the two had returned home, Usami and Misaki retreated to their respective bedrooms.

Misaki wondered if Usami's refraining from coming after him was his answer to the question he had posed earlier…

And if that was the case, was he not coming into the bedroom because he didn't feel like he needed to bother with Misaki if he couldn't 'use his body,' as Misaki had so coldly put it, or was he not coming to the bedroom because he was trying to prove that sex wasn't a necessity? Did he intend to respect Misaki's wishes for once?

He found himself highly doubting any of the above, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it before he fell asleep.

His last thoughts centered around how much better he'd sleep if he were in Usagi-san's arms…

-..- . -..-

Friday Afternoon

"Wait… I _agreed _to this?" Hiroki asked, annoyed as Nowaki adjusted the handle bars on the back of the wheelchair.

"Yeah, last night, at dinner."

"…I thought you said my drink wasn't alcoholic?" Hiroki snapped.

"It wasn't… but I _did _drug you, which would account for most of your behavior…" Nowaki fought back a laugh. He valued his life.

"…So… let me get this straight… I'm going to be spending the afternoon with a couple of kids?"

"Yep!"

"…WHY?"

"Because you're the uke in our relationship."

"…What does that have to do with ANYTHING?"

"It's uke day- apparently."

"…Can you please TRY to make sense?!"

"You, Takahashi-kun, and Takatsuki-kun are all the uke of your respective relationships. So you three are going to spend a day… doing… whatever you feel like, I suppose… while Miyagi-professor, Usami-san and I spend the day… trying not to kill one another."

"…Okay… I'm still lost… if either of the two of us should be spending time with these brats, it's you! You're closer in age, and Takahashi-kun is my student!"

"But you're uke."

"This is so wrong! Besides, what happened to making me get better?" Kamijou snapped.

"I really think the fresh air will be good for you, Hiro-san!"

"…Hmpf." Hiroki grumbled. "If I can go out and about, I should be able to go to work!"

"No way! Doctor's orders."

Hiroki sighed.

"…Hiro-san?" Nowaki frowned. "Do you feel alright?"

"I'm fine… but if you're sick of being around me so much or want to go back to work in the day time, you should just say so."

"That's not it, at all, Hiro-san." Nowaki frowned, massaging Hiroki's shoulders, gently. "I just think you should have some friends other than Usami-san and that professor of yours to talk to about us… people who can relate to you- who I don't have to worry about touching you inappropriately."

"THEY'RE _**KIDS**_! YOU WANT ME TO GO HANG OUT WITH FIVE YEAR OLDS, TOO?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET ALONG WITH A COUPLA BRATS?!"

"Usami-san does it, and Miyagi-professor does it, and even Hiro-san hangs out with a cheeky brat all day." Nowaki smirked, pecking the brunette on the cheek and inwardly delighting in the fact that his lover's cheeks turned pink at the gesture.

"Hiroki, what is that?"

"Eh?" The two turned- well… Nowaki turned Hiroki in his chair.

Usami and Misaki were approaching them from behind.

"It's a wheelchair, Usagi-san, haven't you ever seen one?"

"I want one, too, for when I don't feel like walking."

"Kkkkkoooonnnoo yarrooooo…" Hiroki fumed. "It's not that I '_don't feel like_ walking!'"

"Is it alright for him to be out?" Usami asked, getting serious.

"Sometimes I doubt if it's alright for Hiro-san to be allowed outside when he's perfectly healthy, but it should be fine. The fresh air should be good for him." Nowaki told the novelist.

"Did you say something bratty again?" Hiroki looked up, annoyed.

Nowaki smiled down at his lover. "Sorry, Hiro-san, I'm excited for you."

"…Be excited for yourself." The brunette huffed. There wasn't much he could do to get out of this situation unless he was willing to put pressure on his bad leg.

"Kaaamiiijooouuu!!"

"Being a respectable Japanese man, I've always been quite proud of my family name, but coming from my superior, hearing it makes me shudder in contempt."

"You don't mean that." Miyagi approached with a smirk.

"Kamijou-san, you're in a wheelchair?" Shinobu blinked.

"No, this is just a normal chair… with wheels on it."

Shinobu glowered daggers at the older man.

"Kamijou, you might be able to come back to work if you could come to work in that." Miyagi noted.

"Told you." Hiroki snapped up at Nowaki, who laughed.

"And having wheels would make it even _easier _for you to do both our workloads- you couldn't complain about being on your feet all day either, I could keep you forever and ever and ever after work!" Miyagi smirked.

"…You're excellent at exploiting others, Professor, you would be a very successful financial firm owner."

"Alright, Takahashi-kun, he's all yours." Nowaki pushed the wheelchair to Misaki, who blinked.

"Why not me?" Shinobu asked.

"Because you'd purposefully push him into traffic- have fun, now!" Miyagi waved.

"Call me if you need anything, Hiro-san." Nowaki told his lover.

"Try NOT to call or text me every two minutes!" Miyagi waved to Shinobu.

"Misaki, Call me every fifteen minutes." Usami called.

The other two seme eyed him as the uke headed off in the other direction.

"…So… what do we do?" Miyagi asked, placing his fists on his hips.

"…Well… we have to get gifts…" Nowaki shrugged.

"Ah, a book store, then." Miyagi smirked. "Anyone would want a gift from a book store!"

_"Anyone?"_ Nowaki asked.

"Won't Kamijou love a new book to keep his mind off the pain?"

"I suppose… but I don't know what book to get when it comes to Hiro-san… I just assumed he already owns every book ever written." Nowaki sighed, scratching the back of his head, disappointed with having to ask Usami or Miyagi what they thought his lover would like.

He was already concerned that this 'seme day' would be some kind of piss war to prove which seme was the best… or something lame like that… and he already didn't have a lot to offer, other than his undying love for Hiro-san…

"So who's car are we taking, anyway? Mine or yours?" Usami turned to Miyagi as the three made their way toward the cars.

"If we have to take a car, I want it to be Usami-san's." Nowaki huffed. Not having a car was minus one point for him.

"Ho- he has good taste." Usami smirked.

"Pfft… So I'm not a famous novelist... but I'm pretty renowned, too…" Miyagi gloated.

"I guess so. I remember Hiroki going on and on about how excited he was to work with you when he first got promoted… but then I didn't see him for a while, when I did, he wouldn't stop complaining about how you were nothing like he'd imagined. How about you? Did he complain a lot?" Usami smiled to Nowaki.

Minus one point for Miyagi.

" . . . I was in America at that time."

"Ah- right…" Usami looked ahead, quickly. "…He talks about you, a lot, too, though- mostly when he's drunk."

"To ask him when he's sober, you practically have to flip him upside down and shake him for all he's worth- but when he's drunk, it's Nowaki this, Nowaki that." Miyagi snickered.

Nowaki blinked before smiling. "Really? What does he say?"

"…" Both men fell silent.

...

_Usami groaned as he glanced at the clock, waiting for Misaki to come back from his part time job and save him, somehow, from the drunken blob that was Hiroki, draped over Suzuki-san._

_"Y-you know, (hic), Nowaki gives reeeeally gooood-"_

...

"Err..." Usami scratched the back of his head.

"Mm…" Miyagi thought, too.

...

_"Kamijou, you're a good looking young guy," One of the elderly faculty members praised Kamijou, "No way you're single! What's your girl like?!"_

_"Does she have big- erm… heh heh heh, you know?" Another man held two rounded hands out in front of his chest._

_"Hands? Yes! Very big hands! And so good with them- (hic!) Like you wouldn't believe! Just last night…"_

_"Yeah?" the drunks leaned in closer, as though expecting to hear about Hiroki's wild night-time escapades with some pretty little thing. _

_"Kamijou! We agreed to come in early tomorrow, we'd better get you to bed, ahahaha!" Miyagi interrupted, quickly. "C'mon, I'll drive you home!"_

_"Ah, c'mon, Miyagi, at least let him finish his story!" The old men whined._

_"Now that's just not fair to Kamijou's koibito, is it? And Kamijou's a good guy, right, Kamijou?!"_

_"I'll tell you what else is big-!" Kamijou continued, and Miyagi dragged him out of the bar, pale in the face._

...

"…He says… stuff like… you… make him… happy." Usami stated.

"And… that you have… a lot of great qualities… and stuff…" Miyagi nodded, slowly.

"Really?" Nowaki sparkled.

"He says you give good head."

"And that you're well hung."

". . ." Nowaki's smile faded and he went beady eyed. His face slowly changed color, to the amusement of the other two seme.

-..- . -..-

"Kamijou-sensei, what are you in the mood for?" Misaki asked his professor, nervously, as he pushed him in his wheelchair.

Kamijou hadn't said a thing since they'd set out on their little holiday, but that he was smirking, quite evilly, gave Misaki a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had thought for sure that once he sobered up, Kamijou would refuse to do something like this, but in spite of his first assumptions, Misaki found that Kamijou really seemed to be enjoying himself…

"Ice cream." Shinobu stated. "I want ice cream- the weather is perfect for it. You guys, too?"

"I like ice cream, too…" Misaki admitted. "But-"

"Ice cream?" Kamijou huffed. "If you eat ice cream, you'll just be hungry later."

"I can eat a lot." Shinobu contradicted him.

"…Alright… but if you eat ice cream and can't drink later, that's on you."

"Drink?" Shinobu's eyes flashed. "What kind of drink?"

"The kind the two of you can't buy, because you're not old enough." Kamijou smirked. (2).

"…Ah…" Misaki frowned. Last night (and this morning), he'd thrown up twice… he really didn't enjoy drinking as much as Shinobu seemed to.

"I'm game. I'll pay for it, you buy it." Shinobu smirked. "…So what's in it for you, anyway?"

"What's wrong with buying drinks for friends?" Kamijou smiled, quite insincerely. 'Especially since… when people are drunk, they tend to divulge more information… I could use some dirt on both Professor as well as Akihiko…'

"Sounds good to me." Shinobu smiled. "But when are we going to get to the uke stuff?"

"_What_ UKE stuff?" Kamijou huffed.

"Talking about problems and stuff?"

"Can't you blog or talk to girls about that kind of thing?" Kamijou asked, completely humiliated at the thought that this is what uke day was for.

"There're things that only uke can understand, I think." Shinobu huffed.

"Che. You gaki have a lot to learn about balancing being an uke with being a man at the same time."

"Teach us, then, oh uke-sensei." Shinobu huffed, folding his arms.

"Alright, fine- what do you think is so rough that you feel you need someone to listen to you whine about so you can figure it out?"

"…" Shinobu huffed. "It's not like I want to whine. I just want to know if certain things are… _normal…_ or if it's an issue I should address with Miyagi."

"You could probably write a long list of issues you need to address with regard to _him_." Kamijou huffed. "But throw one at me, I'm sure I've experienced it."

"…Experienced it?" Shinobu blushed. "Well… how about that?"

"What?"

"…Experience…"

"Experience with what?" Kamijou asked, arms folded.

Misaki was absolutely confused as to what the two were talking about.

"You _know._" Shinobu huffed. "…Sex."

Kamijou blinked as the wheelchair stopped suddenly. He smirked, glancing up at Misaki, whose face had turned a lovely shade of pink. The brunette coughed into his hand before continuing onward. Shinobu glared at his friend for showing weakness in the face of their new found uke-sensei.

"Let's get some drinks, shall we?" Kamijou raised his hand up and opened it. Shinobu handed him some cash.

-..- . -..-

Usami and Miyagi peered, not-so-tactfully over Nowaki's shoulder as he stared, brows furrowed, at the book in his hand, struggling to determine whether or not this new release was the type of book his beloved Hiro-san would like or not.

Usami cleared his throat, bringing Nowaki's attention to him.

"No."

"…No?"

"No." Miyagi affirmed.

Nowaki frowned, putting the book away. "It seemed interesting enough."

"It's written from the perspective of a teenage GIRL." Miyagi scolded Nowaki for his blatant stupidity.

"…What kind of books have you noticed Hiroki reading?" Usami offered, a little more helpfully.

"…Yours."

"Ah… He's already read my new release, before it was revamped by Aikawa…" Usami sighed, folding his arms. "So that's out of the question…"

"Mmm… there's this rumor going around that a different author whose works resemble yours is just you- using a different name." Miyagi struggled to remember the name of the other author. "So if it's so similar, I'm sure he'd like it."

"Is it Akikawa Yayoi?" Usami and Nowaki both asked in unison.

"…No… something with a Chi in it… Chi…ka… Chi…ke? Chi… something… something… Ah! Chikara Sei."

"Never heard of them." Usami blinked. "There are rumors that I'm using that name?"

"Ah! That's the author of the book Hiro-san was certain Usami-san had written!"

"Well, he just released a new one about two days ago… maybe Kamijou would enjoy it." Miyagi suggested.

"What's it called?" Nowaki asked.

"I don't know… ask the person at the counter." Miyagi pointed as Usami found and picked up a cook book he thought Misaki might enjoy.

"The joys of cooking…"

"What do you have, there?" Miyagi asked.

"A cook book… Misaki's a great cook."

"Hopefully he'll rub off on Shinobu…" Miyagi huffed.

"…What are you getting him?"

"Shinobu? I don't know yet… he's got his hands full with school… I don't think he could take on a book in addition to all that…" He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "But I was thinking of buying him those Junai novels."

Usami looked up at this, smiling. "I could get him a copy of each for free if he wanted."

"That's alright." Miyagi smiled.

"I really don't mind."

"Yeah… I don't want him to like you more than he likes me." Miyagi stated, bluntly, heading toward the romance section. He pretty much folded with regard to the piss war.

Usami shook his head and turned his attention back to the cookbook. He tried to remember if Misaki already owned this one… Perhaps western style foods would be more appropriate…

"Excuse me." Nowaki approached the woman behind the counter. "Can you tell me what the new release by Chikara Sei is called?"

She blushed, smiling, and pointed at a 'New Release' rack. "It's called 'Yoru.'"

"Ah-!" Nowaki smiled, brightly. "Thank you very much!"

"You're very welcome…" She smiled.

-..- . -..-

The three uke sat in a secluded area, hidden in some trees.

Misaki watched as Shinobu popped the top to his beer open and took a sip.

"…Um… Shinobu… you're studying… _law_… right?"

"Law, huh?" Kamijou glanced at the youngest member of their group, who nodded.

"I'm aware of the law enacted in 1922." Shinobu took another sip and the two blinked. "It consists of four articles, the first of which establishes that people under 20 shouldn't drink, that if anyone with parental rights or other such guardianship privileges witnesses an under aged person consuming alcohol, they should try to stop it, etc., etc., etc., what about it?" (3)

"…Nothing…" Misaki's shoulder sagged. "Just making sure you're completely aware that you're breaking the law."

"I am."

"Okay… You know there's a ¥500,000 fine, right?" (4)

Kamijou smirked, taking a sip as well. "And you, Takahashi?"

"Economics… that's what I'm studying…"

"Hmm… how boring." Shinobu smiled, teasingly.

"…So…" Kamijou sighed, sipping at his beer. "…You were saying something about lack of experience, Takatsuki-kun?"

"…" Shinobu's smile faded and he sighed, head drooping. "…Miyagi and I have an incredible age difference between us… and to be perfectly honest… Miyagi was the first person I…"

"Me, too!" Misaki perked. "Usagi-san was my first- er…" He flushed deeply when the other two turned to look at him. Despite that they were just listening, he suddenly felt very embarrassed of having admitted that out loud.

"…I imagine that must be nice…" Kamijou mumbled. "…The first person you got with was someone you loved."

"Was Usagi-san the first person you… had sexual intercourse with?" Misaki asked, curiously, and he huffed when Kamijou all but laughed in his face.

"Ha- ha- haa—no." Kamijou grumbled at last. "I lost my virginity way before you brats. Though I am a little shocked… Don't most the brats in your generation put out or at least experiment before your age?"

Misaki huffed. "I was sort of sheltered."

"Can't imagine growing up with Takahiro…" Kamijou huffed.

"Ah- so you know my brother?" Misaki smiled.

"The bane of my existence for over ten years? Yes."

"Ah- oh… right…" Misaki shrugged, staring nervously down at his drink. "Were you sheltered, too, Shinobu?"

"If you call being shipped off to various other countries 'sheltered.'" Shinobu snapped, sarcastically. "So, did you feel inexperienced your first time, Kamijou-san?" Shinobu asked.

"Me?" Kamijou huffed. He hadn't planned on actually talking about his experiences or really listening to these brats' problems… he mostly just wanted some dirt on his superior and his friend… but he _was _an educator, and these brats _did _need guidance of some sort… "…I don't know… it happened too long ago."

"I don't understand how you can be inexperienced…" Misaki said, suddenly. "As uke, all we really have to do is lay there, right?"

". . . NOT EVEN." The other two snapped, glaring at him.

"You can't just take take take." Shinobu huffed. "You have to reciprocate somehow!"

"…I guess…" Misaki mumbled, quietly. "…Er… what do you mean reciprocate?"

"…You'll learn them all, eventually…" Kamijou looked away with a sigh.

"…All what?" Shinobu blinked.

"All the things you can do- all the places you can touch- to make your lover happiest in bed."

Shinobu flushed, glaring. "I don't want to 'learn it all eventually,' I want to please Miyagi NOW!"

"If you try too hard, like you do with your cooking, you'll only annoy him." Kamijou snapped, bluntly.

Shinobu blinked, a tad hurt by this. "…My cooking annoys him?"

"To be honest, he always seems deeply touched by it… but it's not fair to make him choke it down like that, that's for sure- even _I _feel bad for him when I watch him eat it. Think of your cabbage-crap as your love."

"Hah?"

"Don't force it down his throat. He already loves you, and he already accepts that you love him, so it's not like you have to prove it in bed or something like that… or by cooking for him. In fact, you're putting too much thought into the things you do. Self-consciousness can be a turn on for some people, but sometimes it's just awkward and annoying. If you're focusing too hard on having sex with him, then you're doing it all wrong- that kind of thing should come naturally."

"…Then… there's something wrong with me, because sometimes, all I can think about is whether or not I'm making him happy or annoying him…" Shinobu frowned.

"Ah… you'll get over that." Kamijou smiled, for once. "…I guess I was kind of like that, too, when I first started. And that's not to say you'll work out a routine or something like that- you'll do better to be open-minded and try new things every once in a while, but don't think what you're doing is ever 'not good enough' or 'the wrong way,' or anything like that… And when you don't know for sure if what you're doing is irritating him sexually, don't be afraid to ask- that guy isn't secretive- he'd probably be willing to post his top ten favorite things to do in bed online with his name and where he works."

Shinobu cracked a smile. "Do you ever ask Kusama-san about the things you do in bed?"

"I don't ask anything…" Kamijou blinked. "He already knows everything I like, and all I really have to do is touch him on the back and he'd be satisfied for days on end…"

Misaki laughed, softly. "I wish Usagi-san would be so easily satisfied."

"Mm…" Kamijou glanced up at the sky. "I don't know why you two want advice from me. There's always a greedy person in bed."

"Eh?" The two blinked.

"With you two- that's definitely Akihiko and Professor."

"…" Misaki nodded without even thinking about it and Shinobu thought back on his experiences.

"I guess that's true… but Miyagi's also very… _giving…_" Shinobu stated.

"If by giving, you mean he wants to violate you with every move you make." Misaki muttered, bitterly, obviously thinking about his own relationship.

Shinobu snickered.

"…Well, drink up." Kamijou handed them some more beer. Time for blackmail. "Takahashi-kun, tell me more about Akihiko's molester-personality."

"He can't keep his hands to himself-!!"

-..- . -..-

"I wish Shinobu would make stuff like this…" Miyagi flipped through the cook book and Usami eyed him, annoyed, grabbing it back. He had just set it down- that didn't mean it was up for grabs… sure, he hadn't _technically _paid for it, yet, but it was still his. Finders keepers.

Nowaki laughed softly and placed two books on the table. "I really think Hiro-san would enjoy this one, too." He gestured to another book.

Miyagi reached for it to see whether or not it was even remotely close to anything Kamijou would ever go out of his way to read, but Usami placed his hand over it to block it.

"It's not a gift from Nowaki to Hiroki if Nowaki has to ask a billion _other _people if it's a good gift."

"That's true." Nowaki took both books and hugged them, smiling. "This is actually a book I read when I was growing up in Kusama Orphanage, and I always really liked it. I think Hiro-san would like it, too… anyway, Hiro-san will love it if it's from me, no matter what it is!"

A few random thoughts swam through Miyagi's head: 'You grew up in an orphanage?!' 'Why wouldn't anyone adopt you? You could have been a model or something!' 'Are we talking about the same person, here?' Finally, he decided to verbalize one of his thoughts:

"That's not true at all." He squinted, confused, and Usami laughed.

He was probably right. When it came to books, Usami had never met anyone pickier than Hiroki.

"He reads books about pandas and why they are the colors they are- what should it matter if this book doesn't have enough character development in it, or intellectual stimulation, or whatever?" Nowaki huffed, stubbornly standing by his selection.

"What did _you_ choose?" Usami turned to Miyagi.

"Three of your novels."

"They're free if you get them from me, I won't charge you."

"That's alright- I need them now."

"I have some in my jacket pocket."

". . . Why would you go to a book store with books hidden in your pockets?"

"Do you **want **to get arrested?" Nowaki added.

"…That would be an interesting experience, but I've already decided that this would be detrimental to my career, therefore, I've decided against it… regardless, I keep samples with me for prospective fans."

"…Don't you NOT want your fans to know you wrote them, and isn't that WHY you write them under a different name?" Nowaki asked.

'What makes this guy tick?' Miyagi thought. Why was he meeting more and more unusual people? Was he the one who was insane?

"Ah, book marks!" Nowaki exclaimed, suddenly, pointing. "We should get special ones, right?"

"Definitely." Usami agreed. "A book without a bookmark isn't a real gift at all."

". . . Okay." Miyagi agreed. If you couldn't beat them, join them… or something like that.

"Which ones should we get?" Nowaki pouted, staring at the different book marks.

Usami headed over to the rack, interested. "These are all kind of feminine… Miyagi, come look at the rack and tell us what you think."

"I am looking at the rack." Miyagi stated, absent-mindedly as he watched a woman with obvious implants walking out the store. He turned to the others and jumped, startled at the glowers he was receiving. "Err… over there- you can design your own book marks." He pointed.

The two blinked, glancing into the direction he was pointing.

"Make your own bookmarks?" Usami blinked, waltzing over the machine, interested.

He wasn't even sure how to operate a microwave… how was he supposed to work this thing?

"Can I help you?" The woman from behind the counter approached with a small smile.

"…I want to make a book mark." Usami informed her.

"What would you like on it?" She inquired, pushing a button on the screen.

"Hmm…Suzuki-san, I suppose…" He muttered to himself.

"Eh?"

"…A bear, please."

"Oh- alright." She smiled, typing 'bear' into the criteria field. Some random pictures of bears appeared on the screen. "See any you like?"

"…None that look like Suzuki-san."

She had no idea who this 'Suzuki-san' was, but she pushed the down arrow. "Now?"

"…That one looks sort of like Suzuki-san… can you change the color?" He pointed.

"Certainly- what color would you like?" She asked, clicking onto a different menu.

"Blonde."

"Ah… how is this?" She chose one and the bear looked more like Suzuki-san.

"…And a bow around his neck."

"…Ah…" She furrowed her brows and worked her magic. "What color would you like the bow?"

"…Polka dots… pink and blue."

"Alright." She giggled at his interesting tastes and made it happen. "What color would you like the bookmark?"

He thought for a moment, and looked around the bookstore for inspiration. Then he thought of Misaki for inspiration… and soon his thoughts shifted to the argument from before, so of course; his thoughts shifted to sex in bed- so he went with the color and pattern of the mattress.

"…Light blue, with a darker blue rose pattern."

She giggled and chose that, showing Usami the finished product on the screen. "How's that?"

"…" Usami nodded, appreciatively. "That'll do. How do you print it?"

She pushed print and the bookmark printed with a hole in the top for tying a small tassel. "You can pay for it up front, and I'll attach the proper tassel."

"Thank you."

"Do you gentleman need assistance as well?" She asked the other two.

"I watched, I can figure it out." Miyagi stated.

"Go ahead." Nowaki offered.

"I'm not nearly as creative as this guy- I gotta think about it." Miyagi huffed.

"I wonder how technologically advanced this is…" Nowaki studied the machine for a moment, pulling out his cell phone and finding a picture. He noticed an USB cable attached to the machine and hooked it up to his phone, uploading the picture of his lover's souvenir (5).

Smiling, proudly, he chose a plainer background to contrast with the picture, since it had been taken in front of the window, and thus already had somewhat of a background of the tree behind their last apartment and the cloudy sky. He printed it.

Miyagi approached the machine and sighed, defeatedly. If he was creative, he probably would have been a novelist, and if he was a techno-wiz, he'd probably have tried his hand at medical engineering, but alas, he was plain, ordinary, unimaginative Miyagi, so he pushed 'random,' found a picture he thought Shinobu would like, and printed it.

"…A duck?" The other two blinked when the finished product came out.

"Ahiru…" Miyagi grumbled, annoyed, taking it. "…The bookmark isn't as important as the other thing I'm giving him, so what's it matter?" He pulled out a pen and scribbled a note on the back of the bookmark, hiding it and glaring when the two when they tried to peek at what he was writing.

Neither of the other two questioned the already peeved professor, and instead, the three headed to the checkout.

-..- . -..-

"- homework, when I'm trying to do the dishes, when I'm trying to do the chores- I have to lock the door on the bathroom! I'm afraid of going to the bathroom! Oh-! And I can't shower!!"

Kamijou and Shinobu listened, horrified, as Misaki droned on and on about how he couldn't scratch his elbow without being molested by his overprotective lover.

"Back up…" Shinobu snickered. "You hurt your foot, and he would hold you up and walk you around, but still make you cook?!"

"Yep."

Kamijou snickered, too. That sounded like that idiot. "I hate to say this, Takahashi-kun, but all of the things that annoy you about Akihiko still sound sort of like good things."

"Yeah," Shinobu agreed. "They only really prove how much he loves you."

"Good things?" Misaki glowered at his professor. "Would you _loooove_ it if Kusama-san started carrying you around?"

"Would it get me out of this fucking chair?" Kamijou arched a brow.

"…I guess I can see your point… I definitely wouldn't want to sit all the time… but he can hold me with one arm and molest me with the other!!"

Shinobu busted up laughing at the thought.

"It's not funny-!! It would be if I weren't serious, but I am, so it's not!!"

"Even though you are,"

"It's _still _hilarious." Shinobu and Kamijou snickered at their fellow uke's expense.

"Okay, okay, okay, we can have a competition on whose relationship is most fucked up," Shinobu stated. "But we'll seriously need more booze, it seems."

"Yeah, and an entire night- _maybe a month,_ but we'll have to save that for next uke-day." Kamijou checked his watch.

"Ah, what time is it?" Misaki wailed, pulling out his cell.

"It's eight o'clock." Shinobu glanced at the sky.

". . . You can tell just by looking?"

"No, but it's been six months, two weeks, four days, seven hours, twenty-six minutes and eighteen seconds since Miyagi and I got together, so it must be eight o'clock… well, eight o'clock and eighteen seconds- twenty… twenty one…"

". . ." Misaki eyed him, disturbed before shaking off the eeriness and turning to his instructor. "Are we supposed to meet the others somewhere?"

"Why are you asking us? You're the one who was supposed to be calling Akihiko every two minutes."

"Fifteen." Shinobu corrected.

"Maybe law isn't the thing for you- with your way with numbers, you might seriously want to consider accounting or business or something." Kamijou huffed.

"Eh? I'm not that good with numbers in particular, I'm just good when it comes to what's important… and I might not seem like it, but I'm a real romantic."

"More like a terrorist…" Misaki mumbled, thinking back to Junai Terrorist.

"Hmm?" Shinobu blinked.

"Ah-! Nothing…"

"So…?" Kamijou huffed. "Well, call him up, Takahashi-kun."

"You mostly only got dirt on Usami-san." Shinobu stated as Misaki dialed Usami.

"Eh?" Kamijou glanced at him, annoyed.

"You wanted dirt on Miyagi, too, right? So he can stop lording that whole library fiasco over you?"

Kamijou turned red from head to toe. "H-h-h-he t-t-to-told y-y-"

"He tells me everything." Shinobu smirked.

"…Everything, huh?" Kamijou huffed. "You mean like how he almost 'hugged' me?"

"Yep! He even told me about that- it's great to be with someone who is open and honest."

". . ." Kamijou's brow twitched. He'd let Miyagi destroy this boy's fantasies. He was really only interested in humiliating the bastard and his childhood friend- and that was simple, innocent _payback_. Speaking of which: "So give me some dirt, already."

"I can't really think of much of anything right off the top of my head,"

"I can."

"Things you wouldn't know about… hmm… he hates black coffee…"

"I know."

"…" Shinobu glared. "His fridge is full of cabbage."

"And whose fault is that?! Give me something good!"

"Okay, well you already know he procrastinates when he should be working- the same goes for when he has an appointment, or a task or chore he's supposed to do at home… in fact, I told him to wash the dishes and two hours later I found him sharpening pencils… a box of them."

Kamijou sighed. "That would explain the box of sharpened pencils that he brought into the office. I found him doing the same thing the week we agreed to clean the office. Give me something new."

"Okay… well… he has kind of a split personality…"

"I already knew that, too!"

Shinobu glared. "Well if YOU know so much about him, tell ME something I didn't know!"

"…" Still willing himself not to dash the boy's hopes and dreams, he thought up something Shinobu probably didn't know, that would still annoy Miyagi to have revealed, but that wouldn't hurt Shinobu.

"He's always touching-"

"He's on his way." Misaki told the other two, closing his phone. "Err- Usagi-san, that is."

"Good." Kamijou reached down to pick up some of the trash they'd left on the ground and he winced, sitting back up, brows furrowing in pain as his hand came up to clutch at his stitches.

"GUAH!! BE MORE CAREFUL, YOU IDIOT!!" Misaki wailed, and Kamijou blinked, shocked at the other brunette.

"Gyerr—" The boy flushed, deeply. "Ah- ah- th-that is… I-I mean… err…"

Kamijou blinked a few times before smirking, eyes narrowing. "My bad."

"…Um… they won't know where to look for us… Shinobu…?" Misaki glanced at his friend, who turned to him. "…Go wait for them and let them know where we are- I'll clean up."

"…Kay." Shinobu scuttled off, obviously overcompensating for his drunken state by walking in the most perfect line either of the other two had ever seen, one foot in front of the other, his hands moving in perfect synchrony with the rest of his body, like a toy soldier.

"…Something on your mind, Takahashi?" Kamijou smiled, closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze- the _fresh air_- like he was supposed to be- rather than drinking…

What Nowaki didn't know wouldn't hurt him…

'Crap… so much for the whole _'improve on communication between lovers!!'_ thing…'

"…" Misaki was silent as he began picking up the cans and hamburger wrappers off the ground. "…I just want you to be careful and take care of yourself… because… you're really important to Usagi-san…"

"…You're far more important." Kamijou assured the boy, a tad irritated. Like he'd said earlier, he found self-consciousness to be annoying. Low self-esteem issues were grouped with that flaw in his mind.

"…I don't know…" Misaki frowned. "Onii- err… Takahiro… raised me to be with someone because of love… not sex… I really… really…" He blushed, frowning, miserably at his own lack of ability to say what he felt.

"You really love him, but you're worried that he's only with you because he enjoys touching you, or some crap like that? Huh? Is that it?" Kamijou scoffed. "Don't be stupid. You haven't known Akihiko very long- and you shouldn't have to in order to fall in love with him. I fell for him in less than a week- anyway… if he didn't love you… he wouldn't touch you-"

"That's not true." Misaki glared at the empty can in his hand, crushing it in his fist. "…He touched me _before _he realized he loved me… He touched me out of spite… because of something I said to him…"

"…What did you say?" Kamijou blinked. His friend wouldn't even touch _him _without feeling as though he'd betrayed Takahiro in some way- why would he touch a complete stranger? Unless it was _because _Misaki was Takahiro's brother…?

No… Akihiko had said he wasn't using Misaki as a replacement, so he wasn't.

"…I told him… to not lust for my brother, because my brother is a good, innocent person… and that… because he's obviously a homo, it doesn't matter who the guy is…"

Kamijou's eyes widened.

"It struck a nerve in him… I never understood why, because right after that, he…" He trailed off, leaving the rest to Kamijou's imagination. "…But… a few months after I'd been living with him… after we got to know each other better… that's when niichan announced that he was getting married… and that's when Usagi-san and I got together… I guess because Usagi-san fell in love with me because I cried out of sympathy for him… But he touched me before he fell in love! Doesn't that prove he'd touch someone he doesn't love? And twice even…"

"…" Kamijou frowned.

"But… Anyway… now I see why he got so upset… he felt really bad about it, you know… what he did… even though you kind of instigated it… and I know Usagi-san probably wouldn't ever tell you about that… but I thought you should know… he felt really… really bad about it…"

Kamijou stared at his hands, listening and thinking before he smiled to Misaki. "You cried for that idiot?"

"Ah?" Misaki flushed again. "Y-yeah… well… it was heart-breaking to see… you know Niichan, an-and even if you only know Niichan as an acquaintance, I'm sure you know him well enough to know he's kind of a space-case, so… to watch him so ignorantly announce his marriage right in front of Usagi-san… who, at the time, loved him so much… it made my heart…" he trailed off, raising a hand to his chest and clenching it with a sad look on his face.

'I see… this is why you're so precious to Akihiko…' Kamijou watched Misaki, fighting the smile that was working its way on his lips. 'Then, if you love Akihiko so much, and you're so precious to him, you're important to me, as well.'

"They're here!" Shinobu tore through the bushes again, glowering at the two. "Hey, Misaki, you didn't clean at all!"

"Eh?" Misaki stared at the can in his hand. He hadn't touched much of the rest of the mess.

Kamijou smirked, watching as Misaki hurriedly began cleaning their mess, Shinobu barking orders at him and telling him to hurry up as he headed over.

The younger teen adjusted the breaks so he could push Kamijou with ease before grabbing the handlebars and looking for the clear path they'd entered through.

"How's your leg feel, by the way?" Shinobu asked.

"I don't know, I haven't put any pressure on it."

"It must hurt."

"It doesn't." Kamijou huffed.

"Liar."

Misaki hurried after the two, carrying the bags of their trash.

"This is going to be a tight squeeze if it's just Akihiko's car." Kamijou stated.

"We swung by and picked up my car, too!" Miyagi informed him, once the three had made it to the parking lot. "But how do we get the wheel chair inside? Hmm…"

The professor glanced from Kamijou's wheel chair, to the back seat of Usami's car, stumped.

"We don't." Kamijou snapped at his idiot superior. "My spine isn't broken, you idiot, it's just my leg. Crutches would have worked just as fine, but Nowaki thought I would hit people with them, so he refused to give me a pair."

"Wait, you just-so-happened to have a wheelchair at your place?" Miyagi asked, confused.

"I've been working nights." Nowaki informed him. "Then I sleep while Hiro-san is home… So I brought the wheelchair last night…"

"Oh…" Miyagi watched as Kamijou slowly got out of his chair, as though he was seeing a crippled person walk for the first time.

Kamijou sat down inside and waited as Nowaki closed the wheelchair up, putting it in the trunk.

"So… are you guys drunk?" Usami asked, and Misaki and Shinobu exchanged glances.

"No." The two lied.

"Misaki, get in the car."

"See you later, Shinobu!" Misaki waved. "Call me when you get home!"

"Okay!" Shinobu nodded.

"Later, Professor."

"Bye-bye!"

-..- . -..-

"I don't understand this at all…" Misaki watched, interested as Nowaki pulled the wheelchair out of the trunk and put it back to normal.

"Well, see this part, here?"

"Uh-huh…"

"It's just like a folding-table."

"Most tables _I've _seen don't have wheels…"

Nowaki laughed, folding it back. "Well, see this, here…?"

"Un."

Hiroki and Usami were still inside the car.

Usami glanced at his childhood friend through the rear-view mirror.

"Hello."

Hiroki glanced up, blinking before glaring. "I should be up front."

"Hiroki…? Remember when I let you try driving this car for the first time?" Usami smirked.

"…I drove it into a fire hydrant. You won't let me forget." The devil glowered at him.

Usami smirked, leaning back in his seat and raising two tickets. "Don't forget our agreement, okay?"

Hiroki took them, carefully.

"…Are you sure you want to go? Even though you're in that condition? It's just over the weekend." Usami reminded him.

"It's the most I can do for Nowaki for his birthday." Hiroki frowned. "…I can't leave the house without him being with me…" He inhaled and grunted out the last part, obligatorily, "_**Even giving him my body isn't offering much, in the shape it's in.**_"

"…That'll do. But it's going in the next book." Usami pulled out a cigarette and Kamijou's head sank.

"…Hiroki?"

Hiroki didn't bother lifting his head. "Mm?"

"…Is it alright if I use your hospital experience in the book I'm writing?"

"Do whatever you want- you're good at that." Hiroki muttered.

Usami's smile faded.

"…That's what people like about you, anyway." Hiroki corrected himself. "…I know… I wouldn't want you any other way."

"…" Usami smiled. "You either… although HEALTHY and _sober _wouldn't hurt."

"I'm sober- I barely drank." Hiroki raised his head up, a huge smirk plastered on his face. "Although your precious _Misaki_ sure does talk a lot when _he's _drunk."

Usami stared, nervously at his friend's reflection as the door opened.

"Hiro-san, careful, now!"

"Hai, hai."

-..- . -..-

When Usami and Misaki returned home, it was nearly ten.

"Usagi-san? Did you have fun?" Misaki asked as he hung up his coat and scarf.

Usami closed the door behind them. "…I suppose."

"Because… you don't really have any real friends other than Aikawa-san and Isaka-san and Kamijou-sensei, so… I just wanted to-"

"Let's get one thing straight." Usami looked frazzled at the words his lover had used. "Isaka is NOT my friend, and Aikawa is more of a slave-driver."

Misaki smiled. "And Kusama-san and Miyagi-professor?"

"…They're… interesting." Usami smiled, lightly. "I'm happy that Hiroki has found Nowaki. He's very kind and noble. I'm glad that Hiroki could find someone so caring, who's so devoted to him."

"…Me, too." Misaki smiled. "And Miyagi-professor?"

"I definitely like having a… _friend…_ that I can go steal a smoke with."

"Kugh… Usagi-san! YOU SMOKED AGAIN?!"

"…No."

"LIAR!"

"And you, Misaki?" Usami ruffled his lover's hair. "How did you enjoy spending the day with Shino- …Takatsuki-kun and Hiroki?"

"…" Misaki smiled. "I like spending time with Shinobu- he's a very fun friend! I think there are a lot of things I can talk to him about… but… he's a little eccentric- still! I think I like the idea of having a friend who isn't afraid to say what he things… As for Kamijou-sensei… I think I'd like to spend more time with him… after this semester…" His brows furrowed and he laughed, softly.

Usami smiled, adoringly at his lover before raising the gifts he'd gotten. "This is for you."

"AAH!! YOU DIDN'T REALLY HAVE TO GET A GIFT!!" Misaki flushed, deeply, scratching the back of his head.

"But it's uke-day."

Misaki shook his head. His lover couldn't go a single day in his life just being a normal person, could he?

He unwrapped the gift and smiled when he saw the cook book. "…Western cooking… Ah- you lived in England, would you like me to make you something like this?" He showed his lover some foreign recipes.

Usami laughed. "Make what you enjoy making, Misaki. There's also a bookmark."

Misaki opened the book and laughed. "It's Suzuki-san!"

"You can tell?"

"It looks similar to Suzuki-san… not exactly like Suzuki-san, but that's because Suzuki-san is unique." Misaki closed the book, smiling. "Thank you, Usagi-san."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." Usami reached up to touch Misaki's face but he stopped himself, instead resting his hand atop his lover's head and patting it, gently. "Anyway, I have work to do. I think I'll turn in for the night."

"Wait, Usagi-san? Um… I got you something." Misaki told him, and Usami blinked, taken aback.

"You did?"

"…" Misaki smiled, modestly and he reached into his back pocket, pulling out his gift and holding it up for Usami to see.

Usami's eyes slowly widened.

"…Shinobu gave them to me… I told him about how you always take me to fun places… and how I'd love to be able to take you somewhere special… so he told me if I gave him cooking lessons until he became a masterful chef like me, I could have the tickets."

"…Are you asking me to marry you?" Usami smirked, knowingly, and Misaki exploded.

"NO. I. AM. NOT!! BAKA-USAGI!!"

"…Misaki…" Usami's smile faded and he sighed. "About last night. What you said; I gave it some thought."

"You did?" Misaki blushed at the memory.

"…I think that… because I touched you before falling in love with you… that kind of discredits me… I was in love with Takahiro, and I had sex with you… I also was in love with Takahiro when I did it with Hiroki… so that may make it seem like I'm the type of person who doesn't mind touching others, or the type of person who doesn't group sex and love together… but I do, since I've met you."

Misaki blinked, confused.

"…It's because I love you that I always, _always _want to touch you… to bring you pleasure… it's not just… that I'm some pervert… it's because I love you. And I love making you feel as good as you make me feel… it may seem a little juvenile… but that's how I feel. That's why I can't keep my hands off of you."

"…I'm sorry, Usagi-san." Misaki frowned. "…The truth is… I'm the one who's being immature… and… like you said… sometimes… no really _does_ mean yes."

"Only in bed." Usami smirked, wrapping his arms around Misaki and kissing him, deeply.

When their lips parted, Misaki sighed, softly.

Usami pecked him on the forehead. "Happy seme day."

"Baka." Misaki tugged at Usami's belt, suddenly. "…I owe you for yesterday."

"You don't owe me anything, Misaki." Usami smiled, gently.

"I want to."

"…Before that… what exactly did you tell Hiroki about us?"

". . ." Misaki's eyes bulged, and Usami felt chills run down his spine from the reaction.

-..- . -..-

Hiroki watched as Nowaki eyed the jeans he'd been wearing. He picked them up off the floor and glowered at what looked irritatingly similar to a grass stain.

"Hiro-san, did you get out of the chair?"

"I just sat on the grass, no big deal." Hiroki huffed. "All I did was sit, I didn't put any pressure on my leg. It's not like the muscles themselves hurt, just the wound, anyway."

Nowaki tossed the jeans into the hamper and pulled off his shirt.

Hiroki watched, pants-less and lying, lazily on their bed. "Nowaki?"

"Hmm?" Nowaki smiled.

"…When are you going to give them to me?"

"What's that, Hiro-san? A good night kiss?"

"Baaaaka. I saw the gifts you bought."

"…" Nowaki smiled, sadly. "…You can have one of them."

"One?" Hiroki huffed.

Nowaki headed into the kitchen to retrieve them. Upon returning, he set one down on the dresser across the room and headed over to the bed, laying down beside his lover and forking over the gift.

"Nice wrapping." Hiroki nodded in approval. "…But why only one?"

"Since when are you so demanding when it comes to gifts?" Nowaki laughed. "Are you _that _bored?"

"They're obviously books." Hiroki smirked, raising the gift for emphasis to show off the shape and size. "You know how I am with books. And you were with Akihiko and Professor. I can't imagine two people who know my tastes better."

Upon hearing this, Nowaki frowned, noticeably.

Hiroki blinked. "What is it?"

"Nothing… errm… the other one isn't for you, it's for a friend at the hospital."

"It had my name on it."

"…It's a different Hiroki- err… Tanaka Hiroki."

"…It didn't say _Hiroki, _it said _Hiro-san._" Hiroki lowered the gift, annoyed. "Nowaki, what's wrong?"

"…" Nowaki sighed, eyes closing. "…This is a gift those other two suggested… the other one is a book I chose without their consent… so you might hate it… if you do… I don't think I could recover from that."

"…Baka… if it's from you, of course I'll…" Hiroki froze, face turning beet. "Err- that is…"

Nowaki's face lit up. "Hiro-san!" He went to glomp his lover but stopped himself, reminding himself that his lover was un-glomp-able for the time being…

Hiroki hurriedly unwrapped his gift to distract the two from their fluffy, heart-felt moment. He smiled approvingly, as expected, at the book the three had decided on.

"It's by that author you thought was-"

"It IS him!!"

"He says it's not."

"IT HAS TO BE HIM!!"

"Take it up with him, don't yell at me." Nowaki pouted.

"This is nice." Hiroki tossed the book. "Now I want the one **you **bought me."

Nowaki frowned. "Well, I bought them both-"

"I want the book _you_ chose."

Sighing, the taller man stood and headed over to the dresser, bringing over the gift and watching as it was practically ripped from his hands.

Hiroki made himself more comfortable and took his time opening this one.

"Um… if you don't like it, I kept the receipt…" Nowaki mumbled, awkwardly.

Each second that passed made Nowaki more and more uncomfortable, until, finally, it was opened.

Hiroki took a moment to read the front cover, then the back, then he opened it, curiously, reading over the first few sentences.

Nowaki was practically trembling, now, waiting to hear his lover's acceptance or rejection.

After another few agonizing seconds, Hiroki set the book aside with a small smile. "I guess… I take back what I said… good thing you kept the receipt."

Nowaki felt his heart rip in half, then each half ripped into two more halves, then those four pieces tore into eights, and so on, and so forth, until he died. Or so he felt.

On the surface, his brows furrowed, and he smiled, rather sadly. "Ah… well… I kept the receipt, like I said, so it's no problem. I'm sorry I couldn't choose one you liked…"

"Baka, I take back what I said about those two knowing my tastes the best…" Hiroki huffed.

"Eh?" Nowaki's heart pieced itself back together. "Ah- then why…? The receipt…?"

Hiroki smiled, pointing across the room to a small cabinet. "Bottom drawer, under the copies of my old theses."

"…?" Nowaki headed over to the cabinet, opened the bottom drawer and moved the theses before blinking, pulling out a much older version of the book. He looked over at his lover and headed toward the bed, smiling.

"That was one of my favorite books growing up." Hiroki admitted, taking it and comparing the two, checking to see if there were any differences or added author's notes. "…It was the first book to ever bring me to tears for three days straight…"

"I cried, too." Nowaki whispered.

"Eh?"

"It was my favorite book growing up in Kusama." Nowaki told his lover with a sad smile. "Some of the other kids made fun of me for crying over it."

"I was made fun of, too." Hiroki admitted with a wry laugh. "…And you thought I'd enjoy it… You just wanted to make me cry."

"Guilty." Nowaki teased right back, kissing Hiroki's shoulder and slipping his hand up the back of his lover's shirt.

"Not so fast." Hiroki pulled away with a huff. "You know, I got you a birthday gift… it's a little early… but I have to give it to you, now."

"…What is it?" Nowaki blinked.

"…It's kind of rushed… but I have to go back to work next week… Professor said that there are people at work who are paying attention… people I can't look bad in front of… it would be detrimental to my career… and… I know you want me to hold off on becoming a professor for as long as I can… but I also know you would never want me to do anything that would hold me back… there's no way I'll be made into a professor any time soon… but I don't want to be the type of person who never gets past associate professor due to passing up opportunities or taking it easy when I should be working hard."

"Hiro-san, we talked about this!" Nowaki frowned. "You have to do what's best for your _health_! Not your _pride, _not your _career_-"

"I know… but if I was fine enough to go out for a day, and fine enough… to go to Canada this weekend…" He pulled the tickets out from under the mattress and showed Nowaki with a smile, "Then I can certainly go to work on Monday… even if I have to go in with crutches, or the damn wheelchair."

Nowaki stared at the tickets, at a loss for words. All he could manage was a weak; "Hiro-san…"

"What do you say? You want to see Niagara, right?" Hiroki asked, smiling. "We can see it together…"

"…" Nowaki frowned, taking the tickets, torn between sadness and happiness. "…Sorry, Hiro-san…. This is very kind, but… the timing is just wrong."

"Why?" Hiroki asked. "…Because of my leg and illness, or… or because you only want to go to… get married?"

Nowaki's eyes widened and he looked up, glaring. Stupid meddling Miyagi. Stupid fanatic Shinobu. Stupid unrealistic Usami. Why did so many people have to interfere with their relationship?

Yes, they'd been together six years.

Yes, Nowaki had been ready to marry Hiroki the first time they'd met.

And yes, the two were ready to move up a step or level, or what have you… in their relationship… but that was something they had to decide together, for themselves and one another.

"I don't know what the others told you," He frowned. "But I would never do anything if you weren't ready, Hiro-san… and that's the type of romantic thing that we should decide on together… the two of us aren't ready to marry yet… we've only just recently begun communicating openly with one another… that was… just…"

"…Then we're on the same page." Hiroki placed his hands on Nowaki's face and tilted it up, kissing him, slowly, sliding his tongue into his lover's warm mouth, but leaving just as quickly as he'd entered. "…But we can at least go and take a small vacation. We could both use it."

"…" Nowaki stared at his lover before smiling. "Alright… if it's what you want to do, Hiro-san."

"…It's the most I can offer… I'm sorry, Nowaki." Hiroki frowned. "It's not even on your birthday… but I promise, I'll make up for it this weekend… we can do anything you want- I'll do my best…"

Nowaki hugged Hiroki, tightly, smiling. "Hiro-san… I love you."

"…I love you, too." Hiroki smiled, holding his lover, back.

The two held one another for a bit, Nowaki being careful not to crush his lover, while rubbing his back, soothingly.

"…"

"…"

"…Hiro-san?" Nowaki said, suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

"Yes?"

"…I'm ready to move up a level in our relationship."

"Mm?" Hiroki blinked, confused.

"Hiro-san… let's get a puppy!"

**THWACK!!**

-..- . -..-

"You gave those tickets to Takahashi-kun?" Miyagi asked as he graded papers like crazy, barely listening to Shinobu as he talked and stripped.

"I thought he and Usami-san could use the romantic get-away." Shinobu stated, pulling his undershirt off, slowly and running his hands up and down his torso before stopping, glaring. "Miyagi! Why are you working so hard? Didn't you say you took off the weekend?!"

"That's why I'm grading like a maniac, so I can have the whole weekend to myself."

Now Shinobu KNEW something was up. "Wait… you're starting your work EARLY?"

"Work is my number one priority, and you know I'm an organized person."

"Pft." Shinobu placed his hand on his slender hips. "Actually, what I've been wondering is how someone as disorganized as you could have possibly become so successful! You put all your work off to the last minute, you cram it all in when you know there's absolutely no time for anything else that should come up, and you-"

Miyagi glanced up, annoyed. "Hey, I don't want to be scolded by the likes of you- have you even done any of your homework?!"

"I do my homework in class- and when I can't finish it in class, I set scheduled times aside in which I complete my homework in a timely and orderly fashion which still permits me enough free time, both before _as well as _afterward, to do what I please."

"…I hate you."

"So you procrastinate when it comes to work, but when it comes to me, work comes first?!" Shinobu scowled.

"Hah?!"

"Where's my uke-day-gift?!" Shinobu fumed.

"I thought it was seme-day?"

"Kamijou-san's right! YOU'RE SUCH A SELFISH LOVER!"

"Kamijou said WHAT?" Miyagi's eye twitched. "HEY! WHAT ALL DID YOU TELL HIM?!"

"That depends on what you got me for UKE-day." Shinobu, arms folded and topless, turned away from his lover with a huff.

Miyagi set his paperwork aside, grumbling and heading to the closet.

Shinobu organized his lover's papers before wincing as something bopped him on his head.

He turned, fuming, to his lover, who lowered the unwrapped gifts.

"AAAAH! YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!" Shinobu took the books, annoyed, shoving them back into his lover's hands, instantly. "WRAP THEM!"

". . ." Miyagi's eye twitched. "I didn't have time, okay? I've been busy!"

Shinobu sighed, taking them when they were shoved into his arms and watching, with a glare, as Miyagi went right back to work.

He sank down onto the bed, looking over the books, curiously. "Junai Romantica 1, Junai Egoist 2, … Junai Terrorist manuscript?"

"Ah… he said he wasn't quite done but that you should enjoy reading it."

". . . So it's not a gift from _you, _it's a gift from Usami-sensei." Shinobu set the books down with a sigh. "Well, I can't complain… it's not like I got you anything… but at least I'm not completely ignoring you, burying myself in work, or putting no thought or effort into gifts- if I DID get you a gift, it would be a very thoughtful and considerate-"

Suddenly Miyagi's cell phone went off.

"Saved by the bell." Miyagi answered and Shinobu sighed, annoyed, taking Junai Terrorist.

He opened it and blinked as a goofy looking bookmark fell from the pages, attached to an envelope. He picked it up, eying the duck on the bookmark before opening the envelope; his name, in English letters, was written on it.

"What? Online? A book about characters named You and Shinobu? That's probably just a coincidence, Risako… Yayoi Akihiko? That sounds familiar… big age difference? It could still be a coincidence! Professor at '_N'_ University? The Dean's son…?" his face paled, little by little. "…Ah- like I said! It's probably just a coincidence- don't tell Shinobu, he'll call it fate or something!" He hung up, annoyed. "…About that Junai Terrorist novel-" Miyagi turned and blinked when Shinobu smashed their mouths together, pushing him down onto the bed.

"Mmn…" Shinobu moaned into the kiss before pulling back, breaking their wet kiss with a gasp. "Miyagi… I love you!"

"Yeah, a lot of people love me, I'm adorable-"

"Baka, learn how to say it back properly!"

"I love- mmgm…" Miyagi narrowed his eyes, then closed them as their lips and tongues met once again.

Shinobu pulled back again, tears in his eyes. "Can we really go?!" He held the tickets in front of his lover's face.

"If I can get all my work done."

"Can I help?!"

"No, just pack both our things for a two day trip and then get naked and be waiting for me in bed."

"Ugh… and you say I have trouble with romantic atmosphere." Shinobu wrapped his arms around Miyagi's neck, licking his lower lip then biting it, gently. "You have plenty of time to grade papers on the plane- where's your sense of priorities?"

"Who's the selfish one, here?" Miyagi smirked against his lips before tugging his young lover's pants and boxers down his thighs.

"Your work can wait a little longer… sleep is overrated anyway, you know… there are so many more fun things you can do in bed, anyway."

"And you _do _owe me a gift." Miyagi smirked, playfully into his lover's ear. "I love you, Shinobu."

"Thank you, Miyagi!"

"What's the point of making your dreams come true if you're not there to see it happen?" Miyagi smirked.

"Baka! They won't really get married, I just wanted Kusama-san and Kamijou-sensei to have a romantic get-away!"

"I know… you're a good person." Miyagi smiled. "But you know," he picked up Junai Terrorist with a smirk. "Now we can tag along and terrorize them."

Shinobu smiled. "Oooor, we could have our own little romantic get-away."

"If and _after _I finish my work."

"And _after_ you make love to me." Shinobu pulled Miyagi on top of him.

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Okay, I tried to follow the summaries I'd written in previous chapters, but this kind of took off in some random directions and wrote itself This is what happens when I am cramming for chemistry and physics exams while wanting to write Junjou fics!

**Notes:**

I used the term _uke _and _seme _often in this chapter, and I used each word as both singular and plural, because in Japanese, they don't add an 's' at the end of a word to make it plural. If this got confusing, I apologize.

(1) Cherry Blossoms is a Japanese folk song. Google it. 3 If you don't know what KimiHana is, you are not a true Junjou Romantica fan! XD (it's the op theme song to the first season.)

(2) The legal drinking age in Japan is 20- technically, I think Misaki IS 20 in this fic, but who cares? XD (since Shinobu's birthday has already passed, and that happened in vol. 7 and was Shinobu's 19th b-day.)

(3) Yep- lots of different laws and stuff, google that shit, it's some interesting stuff.

(4) 500,000 yen is over 5,000 dollars! That's quite a fine! JEEZ! But they go by the honor system, I guess XD I'd be too afraid to break it if the fine were that hefty!

(5) They're in Japan? Why not invent a machine that is capable of all this -.-'''

**Japanese**

_Moushi Moushi?_ The way a person should answer a phone, politely. Also commonly used to say 'hello' when trying to get someone's attention.

_-Tentei-_As you probably know, -sensei is usually used to refer to a teacher or doctor… Sometimes the Japanese will replace –chan and –sensei with –tan and –tentei, to sound cutesie.

"_something" ja nai daro!_ – Kind of like repeating what the person said and saying 'yeah right!' but literally translated means 'something" "not/isn't" "it seems" or like saying "like hell!" trying to convey meaning rather than direct translation

_Jaa!- _'Jaa' means a lot of things, but the way Shinobu uses it when he pulls out the tickets, and the way Miyagi uses it to pull the things out of the box is like 'tadaa!' or 'surprise!'

_Kono Yaro- _(what Kamijou says, long and drawn out after Usami's dorky wheelchair comment) 'This asshole', or 'you bastard', etc.

**Next 2 chapters were intended to be extras- but they're really just like 2 more chapters XD**


	13. Niagara Falls

**Warnings: **Yaoi

**SPOILERS! (Up to vol 10)**

**Chapter 13 Summary: **The Junjou gang take a long trip to Niagara Falls in Canada.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Junjou Romantica, Junai Romantica, Junai Egoist, (Ouran High School host club, whose joke I stole), or anything else.

-..- . -..- This separates time differences or shows what's happening elsewhere.

=.=.=.= These encase flashbacks.

_Italic font is used primarily in this chapter for when characters are speaking in ENGLISH._

(Please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors- but most importantly- please forgive me for any cultural or common-sensical errors that may or may not necessarily have been the product of writing and hitatus-ing, and picking it up, and dropping it, on and on like that, over and over—I have been extremely busy, tired, and at one point, had lost all interest in Junjou Romantica, due to a combination of multiple factors). Don't worry- I fell back in love. _).

**(**_**Cultural and reference notes at end of chapter)**_

-..- . -..- -..- . -..- **REVIEWS ARE LOVE!**-..- . -..- -..- . -..-

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 13: Niagara Falls**

-..- . -..-

===Saturday Morning===

==3 AM==

Misaki yawned for the third time since he'd woken up an hour ago. Tears stung in the corners of his eyes as he sat on a bench at the airport, waiting, wondering why they had to arrive an hour early.

Usami also looked a tad sleepy, but he was smiling. He appeared to be about as happy as a clown.

"Usagi-saaan?" Misaki whined, softly. "I feel like we forgot something."

"Mmm… Did you pack your tooth brush?"

"It feels more like _you _forgot something."

"…Why would _you_ feel like _I _forgot something?"

"…I don't know. But I do." Misaki mumbled. "Maybe it's just because we're leaving the country, I just feel like you don't have a very good memory when it comes to things like this."

"I'm hurt."

"Yeah…" Misaki huffed.

"Okay, I left my unfinished manuscript at home and forgot to tell Aikawa I was skipping town."

Misaki sighed. "Actually, I suddenly get the feeling you didn't _forget _anything_."_

"I did. I just didn't remember until we were on our way out the door."

"THAT'S PLENTY OF TIME TO GRAB IT!"

"Well, I want this weekend to be all about Misaki and-"

"I'll get blamed- you know I'm supposed to make sure you don't skip out on your deadlines." Misaki huffed, sinking down in his seat, looking even grouchier than he had when Usami had woken him.

"Actually, I'm ahead, so it's alright." Usami replied, fingering the lighter in his pocket.

"Usagi-san? Shinobu was telling me about this thing called the electric cigarette." Misaki stated.

"Pfff, I'll quit when I die." Usami huffed.

Misaki sighed, glancing around. Most everyone was staring at the screen above, watching to see when their flights would arrive.

He turned and pulled Usami closer by the pockets, sneaking his hand around Usami's cigarette packet but playing it off like he was being affectionate. "Usagi-san? Thanks for coming with me."

"You think I would turn you down?" Usami smiled.

"No… but you know… you didn't have to stay up all night." Misaki frowned, sympathetically.

"I needed to." Usami told him. "You know how I am in the morning- can you imagine waking me after only a few hours?"

Misaki smiled. "I don't want to, really… hey? Are you hungry? There's a restaurant over there."

"Mmm… maybe. Are you hungry, too?"

"Yeah… sort of." Misaki pulled away, swiping the smokes as he did so.

Usami blinked, suddenly, and Misaki smiled, nervously, thinking he'd been caught until he noticed his lover wasn't looking at him, but at something behind him. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder.

Hiroki was glaring at the two. "What're you doing here?"

Nowaki was staring, curiously.

"Ah… Hiroki… glad to see you on your fee-"

Misaki gawked as a crutch was brought down on top of Usami's head.

"You bastard- if you're trying to make sure I don't get hurt, I'm going to-!!!"

"No, nothing like that!" Misaki waved his hands about, nervously. "I-I was the one who gave Usagi-san the tickets! I wanted to go see Niagara, too, is all!!! I wanted to take Usagi-san somewhere special!"

"…Oww." Usami mumbled as Hiroki placed his crutch back on the floor, propping himself up, properly.

"Ah…" Nowaki smiled. "That's very kind of you, Takahashi-kun."

"Well, Shinobu gave me the tickets he won at the car wash."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Hiroki whispered, grabbing Usami up by the scruff of his neck and yanking him down to eye level. "But if you two do anything to interfere with Nowaki's perfect birthday, I will cremate YOU," he said to Usami, before pointing to Misaki. "And I'll stop pitying you when it comes to your grades!!!"

"Ah-!!! We'll be perfectly out of your way-!!" Misaki whispered, pale-faced.

"What are you whispering, Hiro-san?" Nowaki blinked before smiling, excitedly. "Are you inviting them to eat with us?!"

". . ." Hiroki's eye twitched.

"There's a place over there." Misaki pointed and Nowaki took a look.

"So there is, are you two also hungry?"

"We are." Usami nodded. Hiroki sent him a death glower.

"Kusama-san! Misaki! Usami-san!"

The three whose names were called turned to see Shinobu running up to them, waving, quite energetically.

"Shinobu!" Misaki greeted, happily, meeting him half way. "What're you doing here? Did you come to see me off?"

"Nope, I'm going with you!"

"Hua-?!! No way, really?!! Are you also going with Professor Miyagi?!" Misaki asked, excitedly.

"Of course! Aren't you glad to see us?" Shinobu huffed and Misaki laughed, nervously.

"Well, I'm glad to see you, sure, but… when you say _us_…?"

"Mm?" Shinobu glanced over his shoulder and sighed. "I lost him again."

"Lost him?" Hiroki snickered, heading over to one of the airport workers.

"Have you traded currency already?" Shinobu asked the others.

"Traded currency? What're you talking about?" Usami inquired.

"Ah- you know… switched for Canadian money."

"I did, yes." Nowaki beamed.

"And you?" Shinobu looked to Misaki, who glanced up at Usami.

"What?" Usami smirked. "_You're _in charge of this trip."

"…Credit cards won't work in other countries?"

"I don't know."

"…Mmm…" Misaki frowned. "Shinobu, help me."

"Okay."

"I thought we were going to go eat?" Nowaki blinked.

"Going to eat?" Shinobu turned to him. "Can Miyagi and I join you?"

"Well, you can feel free to join," Nowaki smiled, "But I really don't think that professor is going to find us on his own…"

"Attention, travelers," a loud voice boomed from overhead, catching everyone's attention, "A child has just been reported missing, his name is Miyagi You and is a little over six feet tall, with short, black hair. If anyone sees this little boy, please direct him to 17C. Again-" The announcement continued on and Hiroki returned to the group with a wide grin on his face. [#1]

Shinobu stared at him, confused, before blinking as Miyagi stormed over to them from out of nowhere.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY?!!" Miyagi snapped.

"It wasn't me." Shinobu huffed, placing his fists on his hips.

"Who, then?!"

Shinobu gestured to Hiroki, who was wobbling, hurriedly, toward the restaurant.

"…Damn cripple." Miyagi snapped, annoyed. "I wasn't lost! I TOLD you I had to go to the bathroom!"

"Oh yeah- then I saw Misaki…" Shinobu scratched the back of his head and Misaki started laughing.

"Shinobu, now that professor Miyagi is here, let's hurry and catch up with Kusama-san and Kamijou-sensei!"

"Yeah, come on, Miyagi, we're eating with the others." Shinobu wrapped his arm around Miyagi's and hurried after Hiroki.

"Usagi-san… are you still awake?" Misaki nudged Usami, who sank limply to the side. "USAGI-SAN."

"Mm…?"

"Aww." Misaki pouted. "You can fall asleep on the plane! Let's go get something to eat!"

"Mmm…" Usami exhaustedly followed his lover.

-..- . -..-

"So how long before your flight takes off?" Hiroki asked his sleepy friend as he dipped his sushi in some wasabi sauce.

"Leaves… same time… s'yours…" Usami mumbled, opening his mouth when Misaki raised a sushi to it.

"Bakahiko, wake up!" Hiroki snapped, annoyed. "And _you." _He glared at Miyagi, who was dipping his Sushi in Shinobu's wasabi, "Pay attention!"

"Eh?" Miyagi glanced down and blinked. "Ah- sorry, Shinobu-chin."

"That's alright, I'm full."

Miyagi went back to grading papers.

"Um… so… how is school coming along, err… Takahashi-kun?" Nowaki asked Misaki, who opened his mouth to reply, but Miyagi cut him off.

"He just got a C on his latest essay."

"…Well… there you go..." Misaki sank down in his seat.

"A what? C? How'd that happen?" Hiroki huffed. "I pegged him for a D."

"The essay was on you-know-who." Misaki mumbled and Shinobu glared at Miyagi.

"Miyagi! You're overly obsessed with that stupid poet!"

"Uh-huh…" Miyagi continued working, not really paying attention to the conversation.

"Psh." Shinobu pouted, turning to Misaki. "Other than your grades, how's the college life treating you?"

"Fine." Misaki smiled. "And you?"

"It's easy as ever. I'm thinking about getting a part-time job… but I'd rather not work if I don't have to."

"Yeah, same here…" Misaki laughed, softly. "But it's nice having extra money."

"Yeah…" Shinobu agreed. "Kusama-san?"

"Mm…" Nowaki's brows furrowed. He'd just taken a bite of food.

"That's okay, just listen, then you can reply." Shinobu teased and Nowaki covered his mouth so he could hide his smile. "When you get to Niagara, please take lots of pictures!"

"Ah?" Hiroki glared. "If we take pictures, they won't be for you! Take them yourself, you're going, too, aren't you?"

"Yeah… but…" Shinobu frowned. "Forget it! Who's talking to you, anyway?"

"Gah-!" Hiroki glowered.

"I'll take plenty of pictures, don't worry." Nowaki smiled.

"Leave it to me." Hiroki huffed. "You just have a good time… it's your birthday, for cryin' out loud."

"…" Usami turned away from another sushi that Misaki was readying to feed him. "Ah… that reminds me…" He reached into the bag he had with him. "I brought you a present."

"Eh?!" Nowaki's eyes bulged. "You brought a present… for me?"

"Yeah, for your birthday." Usami stated, digging around in his bag before pulling out a nicely wrapped gift.

"…Th-thank you…" Nowaki took it.

"Ah! I got you a gift, too!" Shinobu exclaimed. "But it's with the luggage!"

"Me, too." Misaki exclaimed.

"I packed mine, too." Miyagi muttered as he shuffled his paperwork together.

Hiroki sank down in his seat. He didn't have an actual physical gift to give Nowaki… yet all of these assholes had bought him gifts…

CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!

"Ah, if that's the case, you should open them all together." Usami frowned. "Give it back."

"Eh…" Nowaki handed it back with a small laugh. "Then, I guess-"

"Yes! A party!" Shinobu exclaimed. "For at least one hour while we're in Canada, let's all get together and throw a birthday party for Kusama-san!"

"That's really not necessary!" Nowaki flushed, unused to dealing with so much kindness from so many people.

"Sure it is! Just an hour- we don't want to interfere with your and Kamijou-sensei's special weekend trip or anything, but just an hour wouldn't hurt, would it?" Misaki asked.

"And you could probably use the break, at that." Usami stated. Hiroki shot him a glare.

"And leave the cake to me!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"We'll BUY one." Miyagi snapped. "So how many candles do we get?"

"Ah… twenty five…" Nowaki blushed even deeper.

"Woooh, he's getting old." Miyagi teased.

"I see silver hairs." Usami stated.

"LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Hiroki snapped. "Nowaki isn't old!"

"Oh, I thought we were talking about you."

"YOU BASTARD!"

"And those wrinkles don't help, either!" Miyagi chimed, poking himself between his brows for emphasis and pointing at Hiroki with his other hand.

"YOU'RE THE OLDEST PERSON HERE!!! AND DON'T STOP GRADING TO MAKE FUN OF ME!!"

"Kamijou-sensei is old and decrepit." Shinobu snickered.

"YOU'RE JUST A KID, YOU DON'T GET TO TALK!"

"Old." Usami smirked.

"Old, old." Miyagi agreed.

"Sooo old." Usami repeated.

"Older than dirt." Shinobu added.

"IS THAT HOW YOU BASTARDS TREAT AN INJURED PERSON?!"

"Ah- our plane just arrived!" Misaki stated, suddenly.

Everyone scrambled to get ready.

-..- . -..-

Nowaki frowned as he glanced over at his lover, clinging to the arm rests on either side of him.

"Hiro-san… are you alright?"

Hiroki nodded, wordlessly, glowering at the seat in front of him.

"…Uh… Hiro-san… have you ever been on an airplane before?"

"SURE HAVE! TONS OF TIMES!!!"

"Liar." Usami huffed from behind him, reading a book.

"This is my first time, too, Kamijou-sensei!" Misaki leaned forward with a bright smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be alright!"

"I'm not worried about flying! Get over it!" Kamijou huffed, stubbornly.

Nowaki frowned, placing his hand over his lover's. "Hiro-san…? Perhaps a drink would calm you down?"

"NICE TRY! YOU WANT ME TO SAY A BUNCH OF EMBARRASSING THINGS!"

"…Hiroki, here." Usami handed his book forward. "This book is interesting."

"I've read it, thanks… and don't say that about your own book, you egotistical bastard." Hiroki snapped, looking it over before opening it, contrary to his initial reply.

Nowaki smiled, lightly, releasing Hiroki's hand, but Hiroki held his, instead, propping the book open with one hand.

"…Miyagi, have you been on a plane before?" Shinobu asked from a row behind and across from Usami.

"Yeah, a few times." Miyagi replied. "You've been on them, plenty, right?"

"Yeah… I get a little airsick…" Shinobu admitted, raising a barf bag for emphasis.

". . . Kamijou, trade me seats! Shinobu is very experienced and will help to keep you calm!"

"What?" Hiroki glanced over his shoulder, annoyed, and Shinobu nudged Miyagi, huffing.

"Nothing!"

"Miyagi, you know this is going to be a long flight, right? Did you bring anything to do?"

"Yep." Miyagi pulled up his duffle bag. It was stuffed full of papers to grade.

Hiroki, who was still glancing back at him, frowned, turning back to face forward. "Idiot professor should have given me some work to do to keep my mind off of… the… hunger… I'm feeling." He realized he was readying to admit to his own fear of flight.

Nowaki laughed softly at his transparent lover. "Ah, so that's what it is! I brought snacks to help your stomach settle- but we just ate, so…"

"I'm fine…" Hiroki muttered, embarrassed at having been caught in his own web of lies.

"We could sing a song, like we did during field trips, Hiroki." Usami snickered.

"That's alright." Hiroki spat back. "Nowaki, I'm going to sleep… wake me when we get there."

"Sure."

"Me, too! Let's share some dreams, Hiroki." Usami kicked his childhood friend's seat and Hiroki sat up straight, annoyed.

"Usagi-san, be careful." Misaki admonished. "Kamijou-sensei is still recovering from his surgery and his injury."

"Injury? It's just a cut."

"Just a what?" Hiroki snapped, annoyed. "Whose fault was it?!"

"Yours." Said the other five members of their little group; even Nowaki, the only one to say so with a playful smile.

"…I'm going to sleep." Hiroki announced, again.

"Excuse me?" The stewardess approached them. "I'm taking pillow orders, would you two like a couple?"

"Yes, please." Nowaki smiled.

"Alright, that's two- and you two?" She stepped over to Misaki and Usami.

"Yes, please." Misaki smiled.

"Three." Usami gestured to Suzuki-san and Misaki gawked, horrified, wondering when he had appeared.

"…Three it is…" She walked, stiffly, disturbed, toward the others.

"Usagi-san!"

"Suzuki-san wanted to come."

"Can you pretend to be a normal person on this trip, please?!"

"I'm just using him as an excuse to get a third pillow."

"Still!"

"Miyagi?" Shinobu glanced up at Miyagi with a small smile. "Can I lean on you if they run out of pillows?"

"Nope."

"Pfuh." Shinobu sank down in his seat, annoyed and Miyagi laughed, softly.

"Sorry, but being a pillow is your job, because you're so soft."

"Who's soft, asshole?" Shinobu muttered between gritted teeth, ears red.

"Excuse me." The stewardess smiled to the two. "Can I get you two a pillow or two?"

"Yes please." Shinobu nodded.

Miyagi lifted his duffle bag, testing its weight before deciding he wouldn't be getting any sleep on this flight. "No thank you."

She nodded and continued on.

"Why didn't you order a pillow?" Shinobu huffed. "If you stay up the whole time, you'll be tired when we get there- but it'll be day time."

"I'll be okay. We'll just have to stop for coffee."

"…Miyagi… let Kamijou-san help you with your work…"

"I didn't come here to impede on Kamijou, I came… uh…"

"Mm…?" Shinobu waited for a proper confession.

"…Because I have always wanted to see the Niagara Falls."

Shinobu sighed, pulling his knees to his chest. "…Well, I'm going to sleep."

"What about your air sickness?"

"I'll sleep through it."

"Alright… if you wake up and have to throw up, do it in that direction." Miyagi pointed at Misaki, who glanced over, did a double take, and gawked.

"What?!"

Usami moved Suzuki-san out of harm's way.

"Here are your pillows!" The stewardess returned with Nowaki and Hiroki's pillows.

"Thank you very much." The two chimed in unison. Nowaki's gratitude sounded more sincere.

"Don't be so monotonous, Hiroki."

"I'm tired."

"You complain a lot more lately than when we were kids."

"…No, I don't."

"No… you don't… at least you don't cry as much." Usami muttered that last part under his breath and Misaki blinked.

"Miss?" Hiroki caught the stewardess as she was heading away.

"Yes?"

"Do these seats recline?"

"…Yes, but you might want to check with the person sitting behind you."

"Understood. Thank you."

Usami, who hadn't heard, blinked as Hiroki suddenly reclined all the way backward, the back of his seat crushing the author's legs.

"Ah… hello, Kamijou-sensei…" Misaki stared, nervously. "C-can I help you with something?"

"I want to sleep with Suzuki-san."

"No." Usami snapped, but his arms were trapped under the seat.

"Yes, yes…" Misaki picked up the bane of his existence- (at least on this particular flight)- and handed it over to Hiroki, who sat back up straight with his prize.

"Nowaki, goodnight."

"Good… night… Hiro-san… what is this?"

"This is Suzuki-san."

"…Oh…?"

"Yeah."

"…Okay."

"He's one in a million… or one of a million."

"…I don't understand what you're talking about…" Nowaki pouted, hating the fact that there was something that Hiroki and Usami shared that he was unaware of. Mentally, he wondered how many things there could be like that…

"It's a bakahiko thing… he has many many Suzuki-sans."

"No, each one is a unique individual." Usami argued.

"Your pillows," the stewardess handed Usami's over more curtly than the others and smiled kindly to Misaki as she handed his over and went to get some more.

"Thank you…" Misaki called after her before glaring at Usami. "See? She thinks you're weird!"

"She's not the only one." Hiroki muttered before gasping as a pillow came down on his head with a 'boof' sound.

"That's for your leg." Usami snapped.

"…" Hiroki blinked before flushing red. "…Y-you didn't have to do that…"

"It's a trade."

"Ah… too bad, now I have both."

"Hiro-san… you'll get overheated with so many pillows and bears and such…" Nowaki muttered, weakly, wanting Hiroki to fall asleep, adorably, against him.

"No I won't, I'm cold."

Nowaki pouted. 'I'm cold' was normally a code-phrase for 'hold me,' but not in this case…

"Goodnight, Kamijou-sensei. Goodnight, Kusama-san… Shinobu?" Misaki tried turning in his seat.

"Oyasumi." Shinobu worded, slowly, so Misaki could read his lips from afar, and Misaki smiled.

"O-ya-su-mi."

"…? Huh?" Shinobu blinked, not understanding, due to the distance between the two.

Miyagi glanced up. "What?"

"I can't tell what Misaki's saying."

"—YA-SU-MI-!" Misaki worded, again, silently.

"YAOI?" Miyagi asked, with a quirked brow, and Misaki's eyes bulged. He squirmed, sinking down in his seat, humiliated.

Usami trembled with silent laughter.

-..- . -..-

"Mm…" Misaki turned over, sleepily. It was quiet, save for a low humming and some whispering. His eyes opened, slightly, and he took a moment to remember he was on a plane.

He recognized the voices he was hearing…

One was definitely Usagi-san… the other… sounded familiar… but in his sleepy haze, he couldn't quite place the voice to a face or friend…

"Misaki wouldn't do something like that…"

"It's not about reality, it's about fantasy, right? Besides, I think the fans would like it if he were to say such a thing."

Misaki's eyes bulged and he sat up, furiously, glowering at his friend. "Shinobu!" He whispered. "What garbage are you feeding Usagi-san?!"

"Haa…" Shinobu's eyes narrowed on his friend. "It's just constructive criti-"

"Don't feed him anymore! His imagination is wild enough as it is!!!"

"…You're boring."

"Uah!" Misaki gawked.

"Have you even read the books he writes about you?"

"I've skimmed throu-"

"Then don't express such distaste for them if you haven't tried reading them. Hmpf." Shinobu folded his arms, annoyed.

Misaki fell silent. He could definitely understand that argument- it was the same point he'd made when arguing with Usagi-anii, after all.

Miyagi glanced at Shinobu annoyed- also recognizing that point.

"Oi, go to sleep." He snapped.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Shinobu huffed. "If I want to stay awake, I'll stay awake! I don't want to miss a thing."

"…You're obviously tired, and you fell asleep a little bit ago."

"I had a bad dream."

"A dream?" Miyagi smirked. "A bad dream? Are you kidding me?"

"I really had a bad dream! The plane crashed… I don't want to go to sleep."

"PLANE CRASHED?!" Hiroki spun around in his seat, waking up.

Nowaki, who had been leaning against Hiroki, sank to his side and hit his head on the armrest with a thud.

"…Oww…" He sat up, rubbing his head. "Hiro-san?"

"Nowaki, that brat said the plane is going to crash!"

Shinobu's eyes widened. "I didn't--!!!"

"He said he had a premonition!" Hiroki exclaimed.

"…" Nowaki stared at his lover, sleepily, before picking up his pillow and going back to sleep.

Hiroki gawked. "Nowaki! Wake up!"

"Hiro-san, you're going to startle the other passengers."

"…We're like the only people in this area!"

"That's not true. We're just the only Japanese people in this area." Shinobu snapped.

"Then the others should be made aware! Nowaki, you lived in America for a year. You speak English, right?"

". . ." The others fell silent, and each of them turned to him, curiously.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki whispered.

Usami smirked. "Hiroki…"

"Kamijou…? You… don't…"

"Speak English?" Misaki asked, excitedly. Whereas the others were a tad shocked, this proved to Misaki that you could become quite successful without having to learn stupid English!!!

"…" Hiroki flushed, deeply.

"But we took that class together when we were young…" Usami pointed out.

"I've forgotten it, okay?! I figured since I'm never going anywhere other than Japan, why bother retaining any of it?!"

Misaki's eyes shone like stars. "Kamijou-sensei! I agree, completely!!!"

"…" Hiroki sank down in his seat. "…So all of you speak English?"

"I do!" Miyagi smirked, returning back to his paperwork.

"Of course _I_ do, I spent a lot of time in England." Usami snapped.

"_I_ lived in Australia for three years."

"America."

"…Wait… so…" Misaki blinked. "Doesn't that mean you'll all have different accents?"

"Eh?" The others turned to him.

"Yeah, I read somewhere that people in Australia, England, and America all have different accents… so not only will you all have Japanese accents, you'll all have accents different than the English accent used in Canada, right?"

"Canadian accent?" Miyagi asked.

"Where'd you learn English? What country have you been to?" Misaki asked.

"…I learned English in Japan… mine will probably be the worst." Miyagi smirked.

"Prove you speak it!" Hiroki snapped. "Say something in English!"

"_Kamijou is -_"

"Not about me, you bastard!"

"…_my sweet ho_-"

"Okay, not you! I believe you, stupid. How about you?" He pointed at Shinobu.

"I speak English extremely well! I've spent the longest time in an English-speaking country!" Shinobu snapped.

"So prove it!"

"How would you even know I'm speaking English if you don't understand it?!"

"…Other people on the plane will!"

"They're ALL asleep!"

"…Well teach me something I might have to use!"

"_Where is the bathroom?_" Nowaki, Shinobu, Usami, and Miyagi all said, at once.

"What's that mean?" Hiroki asked.

"Where is the bathroom."

"Oh… _wa isu... za… za…_"

"Bathroom."

"_Bassu… ruumu?_"

"Kaaa! Kamijou! Your accent is so cute!" Miyagi snickered.

"SHUT UP! I'M SAYING IT THE SAME WAY AS YOU!"

"_BaTH room! Thhh…_"

"…Zzzththtzzzz…"Hiroki's face turned red as the others started laughing.

"_Wa isu za basu ruumu_?" Misaki asked. "How's that?"

"Don't learn from HIM!" Shinobu huffed. "_Weeeh. Weh izz tha bahthrum._"

"…_Weeeeeh… isszzzzuuuzzzzz… zzththttheee… basss… room_…? Mm?"

"No." Shinobu snapped.

"Ahem." Usami cleared his throat. "_Toilet_."

"Toi retto…" Misaki and Hiroki mimicked.

"…_Potty_." Usami sighed, thinking that might be easier for the two to remember.

"_Pachi_."

"There you go. How about… _please_?" Usami suggested another easy one they might need to use.

"_Pureesu._"

"…I do." Miyagi smirked, glancing at Hiroki.

"_Ai juu_…?"

"Oi!" Nowaki glared at him and he snickered.

"_She sells sea shells by the seashore_." Shinobu said, only to receive odd looks.

"That's so good, Takatsuki-kun! I could never do it!" Nowaki praised.

"_She shells sea sells_… oh… never mind." Usami failed.

"Here are the only words you need to know, Kamijou!" Miyagi told him, getting serious.

"…?" Misaki and Hiroki paid close attention.

"_…I don't speak English._"

Both glared at him. "I know how to say THAT!"

"_Does anyone here speak Japanese? Do you speak Japanese? I'm lost._"

"_…Dasu eni wan hia supikku Japanizu? Ju yu supikku Japanisu? Aimu rasuto._"

"That is horrible." Miyagi informed his subordinate, who glowered.

"What's horrible about it?!"

"It sounds like you're saying _I'm last… or lust_."

"Pffft!!!" Usami busted up laughing.

_"Lust?"_ Kamijou asked.

"Oh, suuure, you can mimic THAT!" Nowaki sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Don't worry, Hiro-san, just stay with me and you'll be alright!"

"Misaki, stay with me, too, alright?" Usami asked.

"I will!" Misaki smiled.

"Now go to sleep, all of you." Miyagi snapped. "I'm trying to work, here."

"Professor, give me some work to do, too!" Kamijou snapped, annoyed. "I'm well enough to grade papers!"

"That's okay, just get better."

"You bastard! Don't complain and complain and complain! You obviously want my help!"

"…You don't know me." Miyagi sank down in his seat, pouting.

"So just be more straightforward about it and give me some to grade!"

"NO! I'll do it all myself!"

"I'm going crazy over here, too! It'll keep my mind off the fact that the plane is going to crash!"

"That is not a fact." Usami snapped.

"Here!" Shinobu grabbed from the pile and handed it to Usami, who handed it to Kamijou.

"Hmpf." Miyagi huffed. "You won't even know where I am or what I'm doing."

"…" Kamijou stared, quizzically at the papers, flipping through them, slowly, before looking up, annoyed, eye twitching. "…Professor…"

"What?" Miyagi asked.

"…These are essays…"

"Yes?"

"…This stack of papers is one essay…"

"Yes?"

"…You had my students each write a two hundred page essay?!"

"…Yes…?"

"This is like a final essay! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"…What do you mean?!" Miyagi looked up, annoyed.

"…My students just finished writing an essay! Why would you assign them an even bigger one?! Are you trying to one-up me?!"

"But… you… you said not to cut them any sla-"

"I said don't cut them slack, not drain them of all knowledge! What book did you have them read?! I'm sure this essay is longer than the book!"

"No, no… I just didn't know what all materials you've read over, so I just told them to write a 200 page essay that compares the contrast between two or more of the works they've read so far…"

"…I've not even been gone a whole week and they all wrote these already?!!"

"Yep. Your students are very dedic-"

"I stayed up for 62 hours straight, finishing mine!" Misaki interjected. "He had to let us work on them IN class to get them done!"

"And your hard work paid off, Takahashi. You got an A!" Miyagi showed him.

"Aaaah!!! An A!!!" Misaki took the essay, happily, holding it, gently between his hands as though it were the most precious thing he'd ever touched. "Wait, didn't I get a C, just a bit ago?"

"I lied."

"YOU GAVE TAKAHASHI AN A?!! GIMME THAT!" Kamijou snagged the essay, furiously.

"Hey! It's already graded! No taksee backsees!" Misaki whined.

"That's right! It's already graded! Grade the one Shinobu stole!" Miyagi snapped.

"If you hadn't given your students such a hard assignment, you wouldn't still be having to grade these!" Shinobu scolded. "All you had to do was give them something new to read, a test, and let them debate or something! Now you're stuck reading long-ass essays for the whole trip!"

"I can help." Usami offered.

"No way! You're not qualified." Hiroki snapped.

"Well I could use something to read, in any case." Usami grabbed the one Misaki had written.

"Hey!" Misaki flushed. "That's not for you!"

"You read my work, I shall read yours, in return."

"Err-!!!"

"Oh, and it looks like one of the books you'd read was one of mine… … …"

"…" Misaki sank down in his seat, shamefully.

"…And apparently… you thought it came across as pretentious…"

"Well…"

"So… maybe I should change my writing style a bit…" Usami huffed, handing Misaki back his essay.

"Well… it's just-"

"Takatsuki-kun. I'm open to your ideas."

"Excellent. We will collaborate from this point forward."

"WHAT?!!" Misaki gawked.

"First suggestion: It's a little out there. I hope you're open minded."

"Extremely."

"A sling."

"AREN'T YOU GOING TOO FAR?!" Misaki fumed at his new friend, face getting redder and redder by the moment.

Hiroki shuddered at the thought and turned around in his seat as he got to reading.

Nowaki had fallen back asleep, and Miyagi had returned to his work, as well.

After a moment, Nowaki adjusted himself and snuggled closer to Hiroki, unconsciously.

Hiroki glanced at him, annoyed, before leaning against him, reading through his student's essay.

-..- . -..-

"Miyagi… you look tired…" Shinobu muttered, hours later, though he was one to talk. He looked exhausted as well.

"Mm…" Was his only reply as the man re-read over a paragraph for the sixteenth time.

"If you can't grade it well, due to your exhaustion, that's not fair to the student."

Miyagi sighed, marking his spot. Shinobu brought up a_ logical_ point, for once.

He closed the thick essay and put it back in his duffle bag.

Shinobu leaned against him, tiredly. "Look outside… it's like we traveled through time."

"People are trying to sleep. I don't want to open the window shade and wake them up. I believe you."

"No, baka… it will be darkening outside." Shinobu laughed.

"So did we travel back in time, or forward in time?"

"Back in time."

"We traveled back in time! Amazing!"

"…Idiot."

"I'm going to email my mother and ask her what the weather will be like tomorrow!"

"Stupid idiot! The weather here wouldn't be the- the time difference isn't- gugh… I'm going to sleep." Shinobu snapped, curling up.

"But it's been ten hours! We should be landing soo-"

"Attention passengers," A voice rang out over the intercom, and most everyone awoke to listen, "We will be landing within the next fifteen minutes. Please use the restroom, if you need, then please be seated for landing."

"Mmm…" Usami and Misaki awoke, rubbing their eyes, tiredly.

"Looks like you got your sleep after all, huh, Usagi-san?" Misaki smiled.

"The jet lag is going to be tremendous, isn't it?" Nowaki mumbled with a yawn. "Hiro-san? Wake up…"

"Nih." Was his only reply.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki whined, shaking his lover, gently. He knew it usually took multiple times before Hiroki would awaken at home, but it shouldn't take that many to awaken the man while he was sleeping, sitting-up, should it? It couldn't be comfortable… he, himself, had had a lousy sleep.

"Hiroki…" Usami mumbled with a yawn. "Last chance to pee."

Hiroki awoke at this information, but only until his mind registered that he didn't have to use the restroom. He fell instantly back to sleep.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki scolded. "Didn't you get enough sleep bef-"

"Give him fifteen more minutes." Usami huffed. "His body needs the rest anyway, right?"

"…If he gets too much sleep, Hiro-san gets grouchy…"

"That's probably true- kick him in the shin; that should get him."

"…I'll just keep shaking him until he wakes up." Nowaki huffed before getting an idea. "Um… Miyagi-san?"

"Mm?" Miyagi glanced up.

"…Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, I guess." Miyagi yawned.

"Ahem… Hiro-san… the phone is for you…" Nowaki whispered, pulling out his cell, but not turning it on.

"Mmm…" Hiroki sleepily took it and Miyagi smirked.

"Kamijou! It's me! You're late for work!"

"WUAAA! NOWAKI! BASTARD! YOU FORGOT TO WAKE ME UP!!!" Hiroki dropped the phone, nearly jumping out of his seat, but Nowaki held onto him, tightly.

"Kamijou-baka, we're on an airplane." Miyagi reminded him with a grin.

"…I'm not late for work?"

"Nope."

"... We're on a plane…?"

"Not much of a morning person, is he?" Shinobu smirked.

"Shinobu, go pee." Miyagi snapped, turning his attention from his amusingly disoriented subordinate to his squirming lover.

"Hah?!"

"If you don't pee now, you'll have to pee as soon as they say to buckle up, so go pee."

"…I don't have to pee! Don't tell me when to go pee!" Shinobu flushed, lightly.

"You didn't pee before we left, you drank a bunch of soda on this flight, and you won't get to pee again in the next half hour. Go pee!"

"I don't have to!"

"Fine." Miyagi shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.

"…" Shinobu huffed. 'Stupid Miyagi… what's he thinking?! Is he trying to make me seem like a kid or something?!'

"So… while we're on the topic of toilets, is it true that in Australia, they flush backward?" Misaki inquired, suddenly.

"Huh? Oh… yeah… sure…" Shinobu realized he actually did sort of have to pee, at that thought…

"Nowaki, will we be able to see Niagara Falls… from the plane?" Hiroki asked, suddenly.

"I don't think so… we might have passed it, maybe? I need a drink…" Nowaki sighed, yawning. "Think they're still serving them? Actually, why don't we get coffee when we arrive?"

Shinobu shifted, uncomfortably in his seat, brows furrowing.

"Ah- it's raining?" Usami noticed as he opened the window shade beside his and Misaki's seats.

Shinobu fumed, unbuckling and standing, hurrying off to the bathroom.

"…What's with him?" Nowaki blinked.

"I told 'im he had to pee." Miyagi muttered with a huff, gathering his things together.

-..- . -..-

"Uaaah…" Misaki stared, happily at the deluxe hotel suite he would be sharing with Usami. "It's so big!"

"Flash to our first time?" Usami teased, gloatingly.

"Eh? No." Misaki promptly ignored his perverted lover and headed toward the bathroom.

"Checking for lions?" Usami chuckled to himself as he set his laptop on a dresser.

Misaki stole a peek into the room, frowning. "Usagi-san, I thought you didn't bring your work!"

"I didn't. I'm not like that professor; I intend to spend every waking second with my lover."

Misaki flushed at the 'lover' part of what Usami had said and quickly averted his gaze, suddenly finding the TV to be interesting. He headed over to it, kneeling before it and playing with the various buttons. "Look, Usagi-san! Everything is in English!"

"Yes, you'd better get used to that and stay by my side the entire time. For good measure, I brought-" he turned, raising a pair of handcuffs, but Misaki had seemingly vanished. "…Misaki?"

-..- . -..-

Misaki made his way toward a vending machine he'd seen when he and his lover had arrived. Shinobu had given him a roll of quarters and explained that there probably wouldn't be any vending machines around that accepted credit cards, so he wanted to try one that only took change.

Smirking, victoriously, he happened upon a vending machine that sold soda pop, and inserted his change.

_"Scuse me,"_ A man approached him, suddenly, _"Have you seen a little kid around here?"_

Misaki blinked, turning to the man. "…Ah… sorry, I don't speak—err… maybe I should try in English… _Ai ju natsu suppikku Iinguuriishu."_

_"…Oh… well, it's kind of important,"_ The man frowned, raising his hand to his knee. _"I'm looking for my CHILD. CHIIILD."_ He gestured, and Misaki recognized the gesture.

"Oh, you're looking for a kid? Oh no…" Misaki blinked, nervously. He tried to think of whether he had happened upon any children on his way over. "No… I haven't seen one… but… if I do, err… I'll help you look…"

The man stared, blankly. _"You Chinese or something?"_

"…Eh?" Misaki blinked.

_"Well, if you see my kid, my room number is 216." _He wrote it down on a piece of paper._ "Two,"_ He raised two fingers,_ "one,"_ he raised one finger, _"six." _He raised six, then handed over the piece of paper, _"So, if you SEE," _He gestured to his eyes,_ "My kid," _He made the same gesture in the air, beside his knees, _"I live in ROOM number two-one-six, okay??"_ He pointed at the paper, which Misaki took, nodding. _"His name is Mikey. MIKEY. Okay?"_

"Mai-Ki. _Okay. Good luck!" _Misaki remembered this line from an educational 'English' video he'd seen in elementary school.

_"Thank you." _The man nodded.

_"Sure! No problem!" _Misaki smiled. He knew just enough to talk to English-speakers! How cool was that?! Oh, but he sure hoped the kid found his dad…

Then he remembered he was trying to pick out a soda. He chose one and watched as it came out the bottom. This machine wasn't as advanced as the ones in Japan, but it produced soda, so Misaki decided he liked it.

He took the can and headed back to his room.

When he returned, he dropped his soda, eye twitching.

Usami glanced over his shoulder, blinking. "Oh, Misaki."

A little boy was cowering in fear at Usami, in their shared room.

"…Uh… Usagi-san… what're you doing to that child?"

"Teaching him a lesson about breaking and entering."

"Eh…" Misaki's head slowly turned until he was looking at the number on their door.

261.

"…Usagi-san… this three year old child is just confused. And lost… and possibly traumatized, at this point. Come on, Mai-ki."

The boy, recognizing his name, glanced up at Misaki.

"Mikey?" Usami blinked.

"His father is looking for him. Papa?"

"…?" The child looked confused.

_"Okay, brat, this guy will take you to your dad, got it?"_ Usami huffed, pointing at Misaki.

The boy practically leapt to his feet and ran to throw himself at Misaki's legs, fearfully.

"Yes, yes, come along…" Misaki sighed.

-..- . -..-

"Um… Hiro-san… you sure are taking a long time…" Nowaki knocked on the bathroom door with a sad sigh. "Are you alright in there?"

"Aah-ha-ha-ha-ha… you know how it is when you don't get anything with fiber for a while- I need 35 grams a day and I really haven't been getting very many—ahahahaha- just wait for me in the lobby, I'll be right down!" Hiroki's hoarse voice was filtered into a soft rasping by the door separating the two.

"…Hiro-san…" Nowaki frowned, placing his fists on his hips. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Aaah- I feel great! Never better! Don't you worry about a thing! I'm peachy! Just gimme a minute- I can't go with you standing out there!"

"Honestly, Hiro-san…" Nowaki sighed, walking away from the bathroom door and turning the TV on with the remote.

Hiroki, who had locked himself in the bathroom a little under an hour ago, placed his forehead against the back of the toilet seat and threw up anything he had in his stomach, struggling to stifle the noise to the best of his abilities.

"AHA!" Nowaki had somehow picked the lock and threw the door open.

"Guuuuugh…" Hiroki's face was still planted in the toilet and he only groaned, knowing full well that he'd been caught.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki scolded. "If you're sick, say so!"

"Nooot siiick…" Another groan.

Nowaki glared. "How can you say that with your face where it is?!"

"Are you calling me a liar?" The brunette's voice was muffled.

"…If you're not sick, then why are you vomiting?" Nowaki huffed.

"To be honest…"

"Yes?" Nowaki folded his arms.

"…I've always been…bulimic."

Nowaki sighed, annoyed.

"I've kept it from you for all these yea-"

"HIRO-SAN! While that would explain a lot, I don't believe someone as prideful as you could possibly be bulimic!"

"Explain what…?"

"Well, you don't really do any hard work… so it's strange that you're so thin."

"…" Whatever Hiroki said next was so muffled by the toilet, it wasn't very audible at all… but it sounded almost, but not quite as though he had said 'vacuum' in English. [#2]

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki knelt beside Hiroki and rubbed his back, soothingly. "What hurts?"

"Drank the tap water."

"Hiro-san! I told you not to!"

"Was thirsty."

"Did you really drink it?"

"Stop calling me a liar…"

"Stop lying." Nowaki huffed, standing and folding his arms. "...I told you I got a little tummy ache the first time I tried drinking American water- the water we drink is so clean that after coming here, to North America, of course you'll get a little sick."

"I'm okay."

"Your head is in the toilet, Hiro-san." Nowaki snapped. "If I flushed it, you'd get sucked in."

"It smells like pee."

"I take it this means we won't be going to see Niagara tonight."

"BLEEEH!!"

Nowaki sighed, kneeling down again and rubbing his lover's back. "…Is it painful?"

"Actually, it's quite pleasurable."

"You don't have to be sarcastic." Nowaki huffed.

"I don't know what I'm throwing up. I drank like seven ounces of water, and I've vomited about a gallon of my guts."

Nowaki laughed, softly.

"It's okay…" Hiroki pulled his head out of the toilet. "…I'll take a quick shower, and we'll go."

"Just lie down and finish sleeping, Hiro-san. The flight was long; we can go see Niagara tomorrow night."

"Why do you want to see it at night, anyway?" Hiroki asked, standing, wobbly, and heading toward the bathtub.

Nowaki headed over and sat his lover down on the edge, starting up the shower and feeling for warmth.

"I don't need you to shower with me." Hiroki huffed.

"I want to- and it's my birthday- and you promised!"

"…Gugh." Hiroki huffed, wiping his mouth. "…Nowaki… I'm… s-so… _very_ sorry…"

Nowaki smiled at his lover as he adjusted the shower curtain. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Hiro-san. All I wanted for my birthday was to be with you."

"…You said omae." Hiroki smiled, lightly.

"Yes." Nowaki smiled, playfully. "Sorry, Hiro-san." [#3]

-..- . -..-

"Shinobu…?" Miyagi took a picture of the beautiful mountains outside the window.

"Mm…?" Shinobu was curled up on the bed, watching TV.

"…Do your parents know you're here?"

"Told them I was with Risako."

"…Did you tell Risako?"

"…" Shinobu fell silent.

Miyagi turned, eye twitching. "Oi, I asked you a question!"

"…I texted her." Shinobu muttered, trying to recall if he had actually mentioned it to her, at all. "…She'll cover for me, in any case."

"…Little idiot… stupid things like that are going to get us in a heap of trouble, you know."

"You act like being together is a crime or something."

"A lot of people might think it is! Don't you think it odd that an educator is going out with someone so young?"

"Obviously not."

"Well kudos to you, Mr. Nothing-sticks-to-me. For someone like me, with a reputation-"

"Being mentioned in a few articles doesn't mean much, you know. I could get put into an article or two, if I wanted."

"…Yeah… if you exposed our relationship, I'm sure we'd be in plenty of articles." Miyagi grumbled as he put his work away. "I'm finished, by the way."

"What were you taking a picture of, anyway?" Shinobu switched off the TV.

"The mountains outside- it's a nice view. You should come take a look."

"I've seen them before."

"You have?" Miyagi blinked.

"Yep. On the TV."

"Shinobu-chin! Come appreciate the beautiful world outside!!!"

"I can appreciate it from over here… come to bed." Shinobu snapped, patting the bed beside him and laying on his side, propping his head up with his other arm.

Miyagi huffed. "I'm not going to see anything other than this room, am I?"

"We still have Kusama-san's birthday party." Shinobu smirked.

Miyagi snorted, pulling off his T-shirt. "I want to order room service- I'm starving."

"You're buying- go ahead." Shinobu lay down on his back, smiling. "We can do it before they get here."

"Don't say 'we' when it's YOU who can come four times in the span of ten minutes."

"I don't!" Shinobu flushed. "You're the one who takes too long, old man!"

"Oh really?" Miyagi snapped, climbing on top of his lover, who smirked.

"Really."

"I'll show you who's an… old…" Miyagi's body sank into Shinobu's and he fell asleep.

"…Mi…Miyagi…?" Shinobu tapped his unconscious lover's shoulder. "…MIYAGI! OI! WAKE UP, YOU BASTARD! I **TOLD **YOU TO SLEEP ON THE PLANE! YOU ASS HOLE! WAKE UP!"

"Mm…" Miyagi made himself more comfortable, resting his cheek against Shinobu's soft, warm stomach.

". . . " Shinobu glowered at his lover, furiously. "Miyagi… you'll pay for this."

-..- . -..-

Misaki knocked on hotel room number 216. The door opened and the man from earlier peered outside.

Mikey's eyes got huge and excited._ "DADDY!!!"_

_"MIKEY!"_ The father embraced his son, relieved. _"What did I TELL you about wandering off while your old man is taking a dump?!"_

_"Was smelly."_

_"You're smelly!"_

_"NO! YOU'RE SMELLY!" _

Misaki was certainly lucky he didn't understand a bit of what was being said. "He wandered into the wrong room."

_"Oh, the Chinese guy from earlier."_ The man bowed, awkwardly._ "Thank you very much!"_

"Oh- _you're welcome._" Misaki smiled, struggling to use whatever English he knew. "_HOUSE_… _NUMBER… two-six-one. NO two-one-six. Is why."_

_"Ooooh."_ The man nodded, slowly. _"He went to the wrong room? Well, hey, I feel horrible about this whole thing, and I really am grateful! Is there anything I can do to pay you?"_

". . ." Misaki stared, confused. _"Ai ju natsu supikku Ingurishu."_

The man blinked before laughing at poor Misaki's limited vocabulary._ "That's okay! Here, let me get you what I have… uh…"_

_"Give him a balloon, Daddy."_ The three year old pointed to the balloon he'd gotten in a grocery store, earlier. He had thrown a fourteen-minute-long tantrum to get that balloon.

_"…Are you sure you won't cry if I give it away?"_

_"Yep!"_ The boy nodded and his father shrugged, grabbing it and handing it to Misaki. _"Thanks again!"_

_"…Thank… you?" _Misaki blinked, confused. Perhaps Canadians thanked people with balloons…

_"Bye bye!" _The child waved.

"…" Misaki waved, too, confused, turning and heading back to his room. He happened upon Shinobu when he passed the vending machine.

"Ah- you chose the same hotel?"

"Yep." Shinobu grumbled.

"Where's Miyagi-san?" Misaki asked, sensing his friend's irritation.

"DEAD."

"…Oh?"

"He's asleep. He's as good as dead." Shinobu downed his whole can of pop, then crushed the can in his hand, furiously.

"…I… see… well…"

"…So… What's with the balloon?" Shinobu arched a brow.

"Ah-!!! I uh… was given this by a child I found… and returned him to his father."

"…Where's Usami-san?"

"In my room…"

"Awake?"

"…Yes…"

"How lucky."

"Ahehehh…" Misaki laughed, rather nervously. "He's surely not bored with you, Shinobu, he's probably just tired-"

"WHO SAID HE WAS BORED WITH ME?! How'd you get that impression?!" Shinobu fumed.

". . . N-no! I didn't mean that! I just meant that you seem steamed, so I thought you took it personally-!"

"Nope. Just pissed off." Shinobu huffed.

"Well, you could just wake him up?"

"…Can I have the balloon?" Shinobu got a simply evil idea.

"…Are you going to pop it in his face?"

"No… I'm going to give it to Kusama-san… as a birthday present."

"…Oh…" Misaki perked, handing it over. "But try not to intrude on their romantic get-away."

"…Am I intruding on yours?"

"HUA?!" Misaki flushed, deeply. "N-no, of course not!!! I wouldn't be on some romantic get-away! This is just a trip!"

"…With your lover."

"W-well…"

"Yeah, Misaki. This is what most people would describe as a romantic get-away."

"…Well, but-"

"You know, living with your constantly half-assed feelings must be a tad troublesome." Shinobu huffed. "I don't say it to be mean, but-"

"Yeah, I already know…" Misaki's shoulders slumped.

"…" Shinobu felt a tad bad about interjecting his opinion when Misaki's relationship _really _wasn't any of his business. "…Look… I only said it… because I was projecting how I feel…"

"Eh?" Misaki blinked.

"…Yeah… because… the truth is… Miyagi is sometimes the same way, toward me… and I know… even if I don't like to admit it… out loud, or even to myself… it kind of… I mean… not to sound like a girl or something, but… WELL! ISN'T IT NORMAL TO WANT TO BE THE PERSON YOU LOVE'S NUMBER ONE?!!"

"…" Misaki was silent for a moment before he smiled, lightly. "…Miyagi-san is right about that…"

"Huh?" Shinobu snapped out of his passionate fit.

"…I overheard him, the other day… at the car wash… he said when you get really passionately angry, your ears turn pink."

". . ." Shinobu's entire face went scarlet.

"…He says it's cute." Misaki added, quickly.

This only made Shinobu's face darken in color.

"…I think… if professor Miyagi acts that way to you- or you interpret his actions that way," Misaki thought about it. "…If what you say is true and that he and I are alike in that sense… and based on what I can tell, by the way he acts and talks around and about you… you are definitely the center of that person's world."

"…Ah… uh…" Shinobu blinked a few times, caught off guard by his friend's words.

"…If he's really like me… in that sense… and he is to you like I am to Usagi-san… then don't worry, Shinobu. He loves you more than anything, or anyone."

Usami listened from his position, leaning against the wall, around the corner, having a smoke.

"…Misaki…" Shinobu whispered, unsure as to what he should say.

"…You can consider it an indirect confession!" Misaki smiled. "Well, tell Kusama-san I said hello, too."

"Huh?" Shinobu blinked before glancing up at the balloon. "Oh… yeah… Thanks, Misaki." He headed to his room.

Misaki smiled before turning and yelping, stumbling backward and landing flat on his ass. "U-U-U---!!!"

Usami smirked, kneeling down and pecking Misaki on the mouth. "Misaki, you're the center of my whole world, too."

"Ah-ah-ah-!!!"

"And regardless of how half-assed your feelings seem to outsiders, I couldn't call myself your lover, properly… if I didn't know how you felt about me."

"…W-well don't forget it, then! I'm getting sick of angsting and guilting myself over the sad faces you make!"

"Like this?" Usami practiced one and Misaki's jaw dropped.

"THOSE ARE SIMPLY AGENTS OF MANIPULATION?!!"

"Shouldn't you be revolving around me, like a sun?"

"What?!"

"Well, there will be plenty of time for that in bed…"

"WHAT?!!"

-..- . -..-

==9 AM==

==Canada Time==

Nowaki hummed, softly as he walked back toward the hotel room, carrying a newspaper. He wanted to see what was going on in Canada.

When he opened the door, he blinked in shock.

Hiroki was lying, face-down on the floor; his clothes and hair a mess- either passed out or dead.

"HIRO-SAN! I SAID TO STAY IN BED!!!" Nowaki admonished, kneeling down and picking his lover up, annoyed, checking for a pulse.

"Gigh…"

"Come on." Nowaki huffed, lifting him and carrying him to the bed, laying him down.

"Gonna… see the… arora… bori… whatever they call it…"

"…That's Alaska! This is CANADA! We were gonna see the Niagara Falls!"

"…Oh… gonna see the Niagara Fall… off… or something…"

"Go. To. Sleep." Nowaki snapped, covering his exhausted lover.

"I'm not sick anymore."

"Well, if you're not sick, then you're just completely out of it." Nowaki huffed. "Hiro-san, stay and get better, so we can do all sorts of fun things, tomorrow!"

"Is it ruined?" Hiroki mumbled, head sinking limply to the side.

"What?" Nowaki inquired.

"…I ruined your birthday?"

Nowaki sighed, annoyed. "No, Hiro-san. How many times do I have to tell you? As long as I'm with Hiro-san, I'm very happy."

"…Then why'd you leave?"

"I just went to get the paper…" Nowaki sighed, brushing Hiroki's bangs aside. "Hiro-san, you were also sick before we left, weren't you?"

"Nope- it was the plane."

"I thought you said it was the tap water?"

"…" Hiroki got caught in the web of lies he'd spun, yet again. "…The… tap… water… on the plane."

"…"

And he wasn't very good at unweaving said web.

Nowaki sighed. "Hiro-san, going to see Niagara isn't really… that was just…" He trailed off, sighing.

"I really want to go to Niagara…" Hiroki mumbled, softly.

Nowaki blinked. "You… YOU want to go?"

"…Un…" Hiroki nodded. "…Was going to… propose… to you…"

Nowaki blinked again, flushing very deeply. "Hiro-san… what did you-"

"But now it'll be ruined…" Hiroki mumbled, tiredly.

Nowaki fell silent for a moment before sighing. "I thought we agreed not to?"

"WELL WE'RE HERE, AREN'T WE?!" Hiroki huffed, sitting up and trying to gather his wits. "…Even if it's just in other countries… even if, when we get back to Japan, it will be annulled… just for this trip-"

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki placed a hand on either of his lover's cheeks, staring, sternly at him. "For once, please listen to what I have to say."

Hiroki stared at Nowaki, waiting.

"…As far as I'm concerned… I will always, ALWAYS be with Hiro-san. Therefore, as far as I'm concerned, Hiro-san and I are already married."

Hiroki blinked, blushing, lightly. "But… isn't it important to you-?"

"It was just a silly fantasy, Hiro-san. I mean it when I say that when I think of the two of us, I think of the two of us living together, being together, forever. Weddings… official or unofficial marriages- the meaning behind those kinds of things are the same, aren't they? A promise… a commitment… Hiro-san… weddings, and rings are only representations of the love people share for one another… but you and I already know how much we love each other… I would love to get married, if only because marrying Hiro-san would involve me and Hiro-san in a romantic setting, and I mean… I understand and value the idea and everything… but whether we marry, officially or not… nothing will change between us… I love you, Hiro-san. For better, or worse…"

"…If you say something sappy like: 'until death do us part,' I will-"

"I would never say that, Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled. "So let's both just live forever!"

"…Kay."

"So… rest up." Nowaki kissed his lover on the lips.

"Nowaki…" Hiroki murmured as Nowaki laid him down.

"Yes, Hiro-san?"

"…Make me feel better…" Hiroki tugged at the bottom of Nowaki's shirt, lifting it up, a bit.

Nowaki blinked before laughing, softly. "Hiro-san…"

"Don't laugh at me, Nowaki. I won't forgive you."

Nowaki blinked at the seriousness in his lover's voice before he smiled, gently. "Oh, Hiro-san… I didn't mean-"

Hiroki silenced the taller man with a spine-tingling kiss.

"…" Nowaki closed his eyes and worked at the buttons on Hiroki's shirt.

-..- . -..-

"Mm…" Miyagi rolled to the side, sleepily.

"…" Shinobu raised a sewing needle as he sat over his lover, watching him sleep.

"Nng…" Miyagi rolled to the other side, restlessly.

"…" Shinobu raised the balloon Misaki had given him, as he sat over his lover, watching him sleep.

"…Ffffm…" Miyagi inhaled, tiredly, seeming to find lying on his back to be quite comfortable. Shinobu would be sure to remember this fact, tomorrow, and make fun of him… but NOW…

NOW was the time for vengeance.

The needle and balloon neared one another…

"Shinobu…" Miyagi mumbled, softly, in his sleep, smiling.

Shinobu froze, eyes widening, momentarily.

"…Shinobu… heh heh…" He chuckled from whatever was happening in his dream. "…Aww… that's cute… do that some more…"

Shinobu felt his face turn pink- yes, even his ears—and he slowly lowered the balloon and needle as his friend's words rang in the back of his mind:

"…_don't worry, Shinobu. He loves you more than anything, or anyone…"_

Shinobu watched his lover, for a moment, entranced by his adorable, sleeping face…

"…Shinobu…" Miyagi mumbled, again. "…Heh heh… you come too fast…"

Shinobu's face reddened, again—this time in fury.

***POP!!!***

"GUAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" Miyagi bolted upright, accidentally knocking Shinobu off of the bed and onto the floor, like a crumpled up wad of paper. The professor panted, looking from right to left, in a panic. "Shinobu?!! Are you alright?! Where are-?"

"—Down here." Shinobu muttered, annoyed, rubbing the fresh bump on his head.

"…What… hap-?"

"Nothing. I'm going to bed." Shinobu huffed.

"…Didn't you hear a big-?!"

"Move over, old man." Shinobu snapped, pouting, shoving Miyagi to the side and setting a pillow between the two of them, curling up in a ball with a humph.

Miyagi continued looking around until he noticed some red rubber on the ground…

Then he pieced two and two together, annoyed. He glanced over at his lover, who had barricaded himself in the corner of the bed, and was quite obviously sulking about something.

"…I get it." Miyagi sighed, scratching his head. "That's right… I had started to make love to you, but I think I might have fallen asleep…"

"Don't know what you're talking about. Why would we make love on a romantic get-away? Why don't you go take some more pictures, or something?" Shinobu huffed.

"…Shinobu-chin…" Miyagi scratched his head with a sigh, before moving the pillow and lying down over his lover, wrapping his arms around him. "…I know you're mad, and what I did was unintentionally cruel, but… hear me out?"

"…" Shinobu was absolutely silent.

"…I tried to get all my work done in a hurry so I could spend as much time with you as possible—and… yeah, it's kind of my fault that I assigned the students too much, in an attempt to put Kamijou in his place, but… I really thought I could handle it all… c'mon… I feel enough like a failure as it is without having to feel like I completely let _you_ down…"

"Whatever- I'm fine. Go to sleep."

"FORGIVE ME!" Miyagi fumed, shaking the boy for all he was worth.

"YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE IT!!" Shinobu snapped back, pushing him away.

"Hmpf. FINE! You just lay there and **be** a _baby_!"

Shinobu fumed, covering his head with his pillow.

"…And I'll play the role of a pedophile- yet again- and fondle you." Miyagi reached up under the blankets and somehow found Shinobu's right nipple in less than half a second.

Shinobu let out a sharp gasp in surprise and pleasure at the sudden pinch, and he turned to glower at Miyagi, who only smirked at his adorably haughty face and kissed him, gently on the cheek.

"Keep glaring at me, just like that, Shinobu… it's incredibly erotic."

"You're twisted." Shinobu turned over, annoyed, pushing Miyagi onto his back.

"What's this?" Miyagi smirked.

"The only position you seem to be comfortable in." Shinobu huffed.

"Mm?" Miyagi blinked.

"Because you were restless until you had laid down on your back—so…" Shinobu slid Miyagi's shirt up his abs and chest, to his neck. "…So… you just lay there, like the lazy, inconsiderate person you are, and as usual, leave the hard work to everyone else."

"Shinobu, don't scold me, I'll cry."

"Pfft." Shinobu snorted, leaning down and kissing his obnoxious, dorky lover on the mouth, sliding his tongue inside and groaning as he felt the man's hands slid down his ass, dragging his jeans and boxers down with them.

'He's a thoughtless, inconsiderate, obnoxious, idiotic dweeb… but at the same time… he's somehow thoughtful, he always thinks of me, he makes me smile and laugh, and… he makes me so happy…' Shinobu gasped, softly, as Miyagi pressed the boy's hand between their hips.

"Shinobu… I love you." Miyagi whispered, huskily into his lover's ear, sending shivers down the teen's spine.

"…I love you, too, Miyagi… thank you for bringing me… for finishing your work as fast as you could, so you could be with me… for apologizing when you were a complete jerk."

"…Yeah, no problem…"

"And for not getting mad, even though I popped a balloon in your face, and you're already so old, you'll surely go deaf, and-"

"YOU WHAT?!" Miyagi sat up, annoyed.

"I _said _for _NOT _getting mad…"

"…'Not getting mad,' my ass!" Miyagi grabbed Shinobu's wrist and pulled, pinning the boy to the bed and ravaging him.

"Guaah-!!! Miya- aaaah!!"

-..- . -..- -..- . -..- **REVIEWS ARE LOVE!**-..- . -..- -..- . -..-

(Actually- reviews just remind me to update. _)

**AN: **Almost over- about one or two more chapters to go. Sorry this one took so long to come out. I skipped around, a bit, and kept having to temporarily quit for extended periods of time.

[#1] Yep. Totally ripped that off of Ouran High School Host Club.

[#2] Yes, he said 'fuck you.'

[#3] Because Nowaki typically calls Hiroki 'Hiro-san' rather than 'you,' I struggled with whether he would use anate, ante, omae, or kimi, but settled for omae, because, no matter what I used, it would throw Hiroki off. XD Only Nowaki would feel the need for APOLOGIZING for using 'you' in place of one's name.


	14. These Suites are SWEET

**AN: **Had such major writer's block—combined with tax season being busy… I just haven't been able to update. I humbly apologize!!! *bows profusely*

**Chapter 14 Summary: **The three couples get situated in their new hotel suites and begin preparations for Nowaki's birthday party… there's some smut… oh yeah, and Nowaki is keeping things from Hiroki, who decides to hold out as a result.

Smut factors:

Voyeurism/Masturbation

Bath Sex

-..- . -..- This separates time differences or shows what's happening elsewhere.

=.=.=.= These encase flashbacks.

_Italic font is used primarily in this chapter for when characters are speaking in ENGLISH._

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 14: These Suites are SWEET [/lame title]**

-..- . -..-

"Mmm…" Hiroki awoke, the next morning, feeling much better. He turned over in bed and found Nowaki snoozing, a tray of breakfast settled between them.

"…Did you order room service or something, Nowaki?" Hiroki yawned.

Nowaki blinked his eyes open a bit before closing them again, nodding.

"…Smells good… when did you bring it in here?" Hiroki inquired, stretching his arms out in front of himself, tiredly, before lying more comfortably in the bed and glancing from the tray to his lover.

"…Not even an hour ago…" Nowaki mumbled, raising his hand up to rub Hiroki's arm, gently. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better…" Hiroki poked an omelet and sat up, carefully. "…My sense of time is totally off…"

"Mine, too." Nowaki smiled, sitting up. "So, now it's morning, right?"

"Yes." Hiroki folded his legs and pulled the tray onto his lap, poking and prodding at a strawberry with his fork. "…This is the type of breakfast you see on commercials…"

"Yep." Nowaki smiled, lovingly. "Do you like strawberries, Hiro-san?"

"…I do." Hiroki admitted. "…I want the watermelon, though."

"Hiro-san can have it all… we can always order more."

Hiroki smiled, mouthing the strawberry. "…More... huh…"

"Mm-hmm…"

"…"

"…What?" Nowaki asked, blinking.

"You know, this is supposed to be your birthday getaway. Why are you doing things like this?"

"So you can get your health back up. Then we can really celebrate." Nowaki smiled brightly.

"…Cheeky bastard." Hiroki blushed as he glowered at the tray, poking some pancakes into his mouth. "…Hey…"

"Hmm?" Nowaki turned over to stifle a yawn into his pillow.

"…What do you want to do, today? … For your birthday?"

Nowaki sparkled. "A bath, together!"

Hiroki glowered at him, eye twitching. After a moment of this defensive maneuver not working, his head fell and he sighed. "…Okay… let me finish breakfast."

"REALLY?!"

"Yeah… we'll need more."

"Aww…" Nowaki pouted. "Then Hiro-san will have a chubby belly when we get in the tub…"

"A chubby belly, huh?" Hiroki's head shot up, in annoyance. "So what if I did?" He thought about refraining from asking the next question that popped out of his mouth, but decided he'd ask for the hell of it. They were on a romantic get-away, after all. "You'd stop loving me?"

"No, of course, not, Hiro-san… there would just be more of Hiro-san to love!"

"Pfft… like I'd ever get fat." Hiroki huffed.

"Of course not… Hiro-san is bulimic." Nowaki huffed. Hiroki laughed, nervously, caught off guard.

"Ahaha…ha… the events of last night are suddenly coming back to me… Did I really _say _that??"

"Yes, indeed. Hiro-san has been lying to me, more and more."

"Ugh…" Hiroki sighed, putting his fork down. "…I'll try to be better about not doing things like that."

"Hiro-san, I want a strawberry…"

"So take one." Hiroki snapped, getting the feeling this was going to end in some kind of mushy 'feed me' type of scenario.

"Hiro-san, there's only one fork…"

"Use your fingers. Or order a fork." Hiroki huffed.

"Feed me!"

"Shall we go with the trite: 'of course my love!' in which I feed you with my fork, or shall I just stab you with it?" Hiroki huffed.

"Feed me mouth to mouth.'

"THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"

"But it's my happy birthday…"

"…" Hiroki's brow twitched and he raised his fork, annoyed, a strawberry on the end.

"…I don't want the green part." Nowaki stated.

"All or nothing."

"Then I want it mouth to mouth."

"That statement didn't apply to _your _demands!"

"Say 'ah,' Hiro-san." Nowaki picked up a strawberry.

"Ugh… see? You can use your fingers."

"'Aaaaah….'"

"…" Hiroki took the strawberry, annoyed, setting it on the tray along with his fork and moving the tray onto the night stand before crawling onto Nowaki's lap. "Can we skip the cliché, and get straight to what you really want?"

"I really wanted a strawberry." Nowaki teased.

"Take me or leave me."

"Well I'd never leave Hiro-san, so I guess I'll just have to take Hiro-san…" Nowaki's hand slid down the back of his lover's pants.

"…" Hiroki blushed, shutting his eyes as Nowaki leaned in and kissed him, gently, hand massaging his lover's lower back.

"Nowaki… your hand…"

"Mm?" Nowaki blinked. Had he somehow found a new, sensitive spot that he'd never noticed before?! Impossible… he knew them all…

"Keep stroking me, there…"

"…Here?" Nowaki stroked his lover's lower back some more.

"Little to the left…"

"…Ah… un…" Nowaki moved his hand to Hiroki's left.

"…With your fingernails…"

"You have an itch?"

"Mm-hm."

Nowaki laughed at his lover's quick ability to ruin any romantic moment with his own selfishness. He scratched, lightly.

"That's it…"

Nowaki smiled at the relieved look on his lover's face. His brows furrowed slightly and raised as a small smile touched his lips.

"Hiro-saaan… kawa-"

"Alright, now where were we?" Hiroki pushed on his lover's chest, forcing him into a lying position.

"We were 'skipping to what I really want.'"

"And what is that, exactly?" Hiroki asked, seriously.

"Hum?" Nowaki blinked.

"…Just what is it you reeeally want from me, Nowaki? …Anything in the world… ask me… it's your birthday, so I'll do my best to accommodate you."

"…What I want most in the world…" Nowaki smiled. "…Is something… I could never… _ever_… tell Hiro-san…" He caressed his lover's cheeks as the man blinked, confused, and a little hurt. "…So… instead… just stay with me, Hiro-san… just keep being Hiro-san… only a little less thick-headed about your health."

"…" Hiroki huffed, folding his arms and resting his chin on them as he lay atop his lover. "…What do you mean when you say it's something you can never tell me?"

"Maah, don't worry about it, Hiro-san." Nowaki told him. "…I already told you all I could… there's nothing more for you." He reached up, brushing some of Hiroki's messy bangs aside. "Now let's bathe together."

Hiroki huffed. "You think I'll just let it slide like that?"

"Yes…" Nowaki told him. "Because you don't like hearing about or talking about that type of mushy thing… and I know you well enough to know what you really want and need… and what you certainly would never want… so…" He smiled. "…Let's stick to the more superficial wants and needs."

"…" Hiroki frowned. "…I don't like it… knowing there's something you're keeping from me, just because of my personality… Didn't I just tell you I'd accommodate you?"

"To the greatest extent in which Hiro-san can… that's fine." Nowaki smiled. "I prefer to give all my love to Hiro-san…" He reached up and touched Hiroki's lips. "…To all of Hiro-san… let's go bathe."

"…" Hiroki huffed, leaning down and pressing his lips to Nowaki's jaw.

"Aah… Hiro-san…" Nowaki groaned as Hiroki's teeth grazed downward and the slighter man nipped at his collar bone. "Mm…"

"Aggressive… that's how a lot of people describe me… they must assume I'm the same way in bed, but you know I'm not, don't you…?" Hiroki muttered.

"Contrary to your current actions… yes. You're not typically aggressive… but I love you either way." Nowaki promised.

"And I love you… but I wonder if I should be more straightforward with what I want…" Hiroki mumbled, moving upward again and kissing Nowaki, more aggressively than before.

"Mmm… Hiro-san…" Nowaki groaned into his lover's mouth as the brunette began grinding their groins together. "Hiro-san…!!!" He grunted and Hiroki rose, sighing.

"Maybe it's better _not _to voice my wants and needs, though…" He pulled away and Nowaki stared, beady eyed after him for a moment as he headed off, toward his suitcase full of clothes.

"…Hi… Hiro-san…" His eyes widened. "Th-that's not fair!"

"Yep."

"HIRO-SAN! It's my birthday! How can you be so cold?!"

"Easily."

"Hiiirooo-saaaan!!!"

"Voice your wants and needs, and I'll voice mine." Hiroki huffed, pulling on a pair of pants.

Nowaki huffed. "…Hiro-san! Come back to bed…"

"Nope." Hiroki popped open a can of soda and waltzed over to the window.

"I have eyes, Hiro-san! I can see you need it just as much as I do!"

"What? This?" Hiroki turned with a huff, groping his crotch with a visible flinch. "This is something I guess I'll just keep to myself…" He slid his hand down his pants and Nowaki's eyes widened even more.

He wanted to see it… Hiro-san pleasing himself…!!!

'…I can see this is having the opposite affect that I want it to…' Hiroki's brow twitched. 'But maybe if I just keep pushing him…'

He sighed, leaning against the wall and slipping his hand further down the front of his pants, fingering himself, gently. "Mmn…" He accidentally let out a soft whimper.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki watched, completely aroused by the sight of his lover's masturbation.

'Say that name some more, Nowaki… you're making it too easy… with your eyes on me and if you keep whispering my name in that voice- I'll come any second…' He raised his other hand, touching the cold can of soda to his chest and shutting his eyes tight, a pink flush spreading onto his cheeks as his nipple became erect.

"Hiro-san! That's enough! Let me-!!"

"Back off."

"Eh?!" Nowaki blinked, startled. He'd already starting climbing over toward the edge of the bed.

"…I'm not sharing it with you… I'm keeping my wants and needs to myself, too." Hiroki opened his eyes, giving Nowaki a stern look.

"…Hiro-san…"

"I'm not done, yet…" Hiroki slowly and carefully sank to the floor, pulling his pants to his thighs and stroking himself, turning away from Nowaki.

"…I-I can't… I know you're trying to make a point, Hiro-san… and I get this dangerous feeling when you tell me not to go near you in that voice, but… I really can't hold back- please stop playing with me… it… it's my birthday…" Nowaki whined, adorably and Hiroki grunted, struggling not to come due to his his lover's mere existence…

"Aaah…" He moaned, pumping more, and from behind, Nowaki could see his ass muscles tensing and tightening. (1)

"That's it… I don't care if there are repercussions… I have to touch Hiro-san!!!"

"There WILL be repercussions." Hiroki growled, stopping Nowaki in his tracks.

"But-!"

"Nnn!!!" Hiroki grunted and groaned again, stroking harder.

"Hiro-san!"

"Aaah…" Hiroki came into his hand, and continued stroking as he panted, releasing the last bit of cum and hurriedly pulling up his pants so he wouldn't make a mess on the floor. He lie there, panting, for a moment, before rolling onto his back. "…I won't share, ever again…"

"Hiro-san!"

"Unless you do." Hiroki glared at him and Nowaki frowned, averting his gaze.

A long, drawn out silence filled the room, (save for Hiroki's heavy breathing from the slight exertion).

"…If I say it-!!!" Nowaki began, but an exhausted Hiroki cut him off:

"Say it!"

"It's not the same!" Nowaki stated.

"Say it!" Hiroki urged.

"…It's just that I want to marry Hiro-san!"

"That's not what it is! Don't lie to me!" Hiroki sat up, carefully.

"Hiro-san! Stop being a jerk!"

Hiroki blinked, taken a back. "…A jerk?"

Suddenly Nowaki's cell phone went off. Blinking, the two turned to the night stand, where it was ringing.

Nowaki walked over to it, taking a look at the caller ID.

"Is it the hospital?" Hiroki blinked. "Don't they know you have the weekend off?"

"…It's…" Nowaki flipped his cell open. "Hello… no… I'm not in America, I'm in Canada… yes, that's true… he did? …Well, why did you tell him? It's supposed to be a vacation… Yes… of course I'll go see Carter-sensei… yes… today…"

Hiroki blinked, taken aback.

"…Ah- my roommate? He's recovering… in fact, I'd say he's perfectly back to normal…"

Hiroki huffed.

"…I know… I didn't take a vacation while my roommate was recovering, we came together… why?"

Hiroki groaned, smacking himself in the face.

"…I have my own personal reasons for coming… No, thank you. What time is it, there? …Oh… shouldn't you be… I see… well, take care. Thank you for contacting me." Nowaki hung up with a heavy sigh.

"If you don't want to go somewhere, don't. If you want to be with me, just tell them you're busy." Hiroki huffed. "Don't let those people walk all over you, Nowaki."

"…" Nowaki ignored him, gathering some clothes.

"Are you _really_ going?"

"…If I want to keep my deepest darkest secret hidden, it has nothing to do with you!" Nowaki snapped. "Even lovers are allowed to have those!" He turned, putting on a shirt, and stormed out, slamming the door closed.

Hiroki blinked. 'I took it too far…' He sighed, heading into the bathroom to shower. All the other times he and Nowaki had fought like this- (and there were only a small number of fights; he could even count them on one hand…)- he always felt unbearably anxious and wanted to make up, quickly… but this time, he felt he wasn't necessarily at fault… this time… it was because Nowaki was keeping things from him… that they were on bad terms…

But still…

WHY _NOW?!!_

"Ugh…" Hiroki dropped his pants to the floor. "…I guess I shouldn't have done that, though… didn't he leave to meet this Carter guy with a raging hard-on from watching me? …I better text him… or maybe I shouldn't… maybe I should stop talking to myself… but I never noticed before… due to the acoustics, I can hear it really well… I have a nice voice… The echo is great… When Nowaki and I are on better terms, we should definitely do it in here- that'd be amaz…" He trailed off, flushing, deeply. 'Am I some kind of pervert?!!'

-..- . -..-

"Groooooaaaan…"

"Who says 'groan' when they groan?" Miyagi pursed his lips to the right so he could shave the left side of his face, watching Shinobu in the mirror he'd intentionally turned for the very purpose of watching Shinobu.

The teen sat up in the reflection Miyagi saw, trembling, slightly, slooooowly reaching behind himself to rub at his sore ass.

"…I don't say 'shaving' while I shave, for example," Miyagi shook his razor out into the sink, then rinsed it off, and shook it, again.

"Grumble grumble grumble…"

Miyagi laughed, softly, and went back to shaving, "So, what are our plans fo- oww!" He nicked himself and put the razor down, annoyed, putting pressure on the small cut.

"Snicker snicker sni-"

"Shut up!" Miyagi snapped, annoyed.

"That's my _revenge_…"

"How is… you didn't have anything to do with… che…" Miyagi splashed his face clean.

"You missed your sideburns again."

"What? You bastard… these aren't coming off… Miyagi threw a towel over his shoulder and headed out into the room to go through his briefcase in an attempt to find a clean pair of boxers. "…Gonna join me?"

"Not unless you're taking a bath… I can't stand."

"A bath?" Miyagi blinked. "You want to take one together? Ah… I guess I can wash your back, if we do." He turned on the bath and plugged it up.

"…" Shinobu thought about the last time Miyagi had 'washed his back.' Things started off all nice and innocent… up until Miyagi decided that his 'lower-lower back' needed washing, and that ended with… well, it had actually ended _quite _pleasurably, but considering he was absolutely exhausted and in pain, that didn't sound particularly appeasing, this time. "…I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Miyagi asked, oblivious to his lover's already made-up mind.

"…If you're inconsiderate, rough, and heartless because you used to be straight…"

Miyagi turned to him, annoyed. "You could ask me to slow down instead of BEGGING for more… I think I might get the clue."

"You mean like all those times I told you I couldn't BREATHE but you kept kissing me anyway, or those times I said STOP, but you did as you pleased, or when I told you not to thrust and you pushed in even HARDER?"

"…You mean last night, or all the other times?"

"_**EVERY**_ TIME!!!"

"…You mean you don't _LIKE_ having your ass pounded?"

Shinobu's eyes widened and he flushed, furiously. "YES, but can't you be gentl…" He trailed off, blushing even deeper. "I-I mean… you could have a LITTLE more consideration for my-"

"Just tell me to be more gentle, and I will." Miyagi shrugged.

"…Liar." Shinobu glared. "…Maybe I should take you, once, so you know how it feels."

"Naaaah."

"What a dick." Shinobu huffed, folding his arms. "Why did you shave BEFORE showering, anyway?"

"So the hairs will wash off better…" Miyagi shrugged. "I like doing things backward. Besides, doing things wrong can seem right, as you've taught me."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"

"That dating my ex-wife's brother; boss' son; a male HIGH SCHOOL student, at that, seemed very wrong a few months ago, but now I can't think of anything that's ever felt more right." Miyagi stated, leaning against the door with a wolfish grin.

Shinobu blinked at him, ears turning quickly red, along with the rest of his face. "…Miyagi…"

"How sore are you?" Miyagi asked.

"You just said all that so you could get laid?" Shinobu huffed, annoyed, though he still appreciated the sentiment.

"No." Miyagi laughed, turning and heading back into the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

"Checking for wrinkles?" Shinobu snickered.

"I was just checking the damage."

"WHAT damage?!"

"You can be rough, too, you know."

"Oh really?!" Shinobu limped into the bathroom, annoyed. "Where's YOUR damage? You look perfectly fine to me! You mean this?" He gestured to the hickeys trailing down Miyagi's abs.

"No." Miyagi stated, turning to show off the scratch marks that streaked down his back on either side. "These."

Shinobu gawked. "Uah! That looks like it hurts! _I_ did that?!"

"Yep."

"Hmm." Shinobu nodded, appreciatively before tossing some aftershave over the wounds. "NOW you know my pain."

"…Maybe if you had thrown it on right after they'd been- AAAAAAH!!!"

"Delayed affect." Shinobu smirked, victoriously.

"Aaahaaa…" Miyagi whined, shrugging uncomfortably a few times, grimacing in pain.

"NOW you know an uke's pain."

"Like hell! Yours is just sore muscles!"

"…That you RIPPED through."

"FINE. From now on, you tell me to be gentle, and I will."

"And in return?"

"Just don't ever throw aftershave on your claw marks again."

"You'll really ease up, huh? You never have, before." Shinobu huffed.

"I was gentle our first time." Miyagi snapped.

"…" Shinobu blinked at the memory, eyes lowering to the floor, sadly.

"…NOT **THAT** TIME, **THAT** DOESN'T COUNT… Gyet- ah- I see you're still not over that…" Miyagi sighed, annoyed. "…Though… I suppose… I never did apologize, properly…"

"Or for that time you jerked me off… or for the time you forced me down in your office… or for-"

"Alright, alright," Miyagi picked him up, carefully. "I'll make it aaaall up to you, this weekend."

"…" Shinobu blinked before frowning. "…I didn't mean to sound like I… hold any of that against you…"

"No?" Miyagi smirked. "…You'll forgive me, even though I'm just a horrible person?"

"…You're not…" Shinobu averted his gaze, annoyed, as Miyagi gently set him in the warm water and them stripped out of his pants and climbed in, himself.

"…The tub's spacey." Miyagi smiled.

Shinobu smiled, a little, too. "…Yeah… someday, when I'm RICH, we'll have a tub, like this."

Miyagi laughed, softly. "Is that so?"

"Yep…" Shinobu perked. "…I'll be a rich… something-rather."

"You can't just pick out a future with empty lines and 'fill in the blanks' later, Shinobu… you should fall in love with something, now."

"Don't tell me how to live my life… I'll live it how I want… you wait and see. I'll be a rich something-rather, and you'll be my trophy husband."

Miyagi laughed at that. "Suits me fine… you know, since I'm a lazy good for nothing who lets everyone else do all the work…"

"Yep."

"_BRAT._"

"Miyagi?" Shinobu frowned, suddenly. "…about what I said a moment ago… about those times…"

"What times?" Miyagi asked, splashing his face with water and poking his tiny cut to make sure it wasn't bleeding.

"…The times when you're… scary…."

"Eh?" Miyagi blinked, confused.

"…You know… you can be really scary when you're mad… like you're a whole new person…"

"…Oh?" Miyagi asked, confused. He really didn't get mad very often… the typical feelings he felt around Shinobu when he wasn't in la-la land or luv-luv mode were nervousness, anxiety, frustration, jealousy… none of which were typically anger…

Although there were 'those times.'

When Shinobu pushed him to his limit, he pinned him down and jerked him to make him get lost…

When Shinobu pushed him to his limit, he threw him onto his bed and tried to force him to realize his own limits…

When Shinobu pushed him to his limit after ignoring him, clamming up about what had been bothering him, and then revealed that he was storming off to Australia, he'd lost it again and pushed him to the floor- Shinobu even had to bite him to snap him out of it… No… it wasn't the bite that snapped him out of it… it was that horribly miserable face he had made…

'. . . Why is it that someone who should bring out the best in me seems to always bring out the worst in me. . .' Miyagi thought, eye twitching.

"Your face says you realize what I'm talking about, finally." Shinobu huffed, splashing Miyagi to snap him out of it.

"I'll show you mad." Miyagi splashed him harder, annoyed. "So what about 'those times?'"

"Just wanted to tell you… even though you can be scary, sometimes… I always think about you when you're really kind to me… even though you can be an annoying old man sometimes… the only thoughts that go through my head are… pleasant thoughts and memories…"

Miyagi smiled at his adorable lover. God he loved this person…

"Is it… the same for you?" Shinobu muttered, and though his head was lowered a bit in embarrassment, his giant gray orbs raised as he stared nervously at Miyagi. "…Do you have pleasant thoughts about me, too? Or do you think of the silly, embarrassing, stupid things I do…?'

"What stupid, silly, embarrassing things would those be?"

"…Like… that my ears get red… which is annoying… or when I act k-kind of like a brat… or when I'm a coward?"

"Coward?"

"…Whenever I'm faced with failure or hit a wall… I run away… it usually involves you, since I pretty much succeed at everything else… but whenever I realized I couldn't be with you… or thought that it would be too painful to be around you… my first instinct was always to flee to Australia… or just to flee in general…"

Miyagi frowned, giving what Shinobu said some thought.

"…My first instinct is to flee… because… you told me… that time… 'if things are looking tough… run for it… that's the rule…' so I guess YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS THE COWARD… I want you to know that from now on… if things are getting tough between us… I'm not gonna run… I'm gonna stay by your side… 'kay?" He squeaked the last part, sinking down in the bath as Miyagi smirked.

"…I'll hold you to that…" 'My adorable Shinobu-chin.'

"…S-so… anyway…"

"The thoughts that usually go through my head are about…"

"Eh?" Shinobu looked up, curiously.

"…Well… if I were to be perfectly honest…" 'If I say sex, he'll think I'm a pervert no matter how you look at it, if I say 'waiting for my next smoke,' he'll get pissed off, but if I say 'of course it's you, Shinobu-chin!!!' then it won't exactly be the truth…'

"…It's okay… I don't expect you to think only of me…" Shinobu looked away, disappointed.

"…The truth is… I'm such an _extremely thoughtful _person, that a lot of different things go through my mind aaaaall the time… but when I'm not thinking of something in particular… I think of you… and more and more, recently… I find myself craving Shinobu-chin more than I crave food, cigarettes, or water."

Shinobu flushed deeply, still averting his gaze. "O-oh… is that so…?"

"That's so." Miyagi smiled, raising his leg out of the water to splash Shinobu in the face.

"OLD MAN!" Shinobu lunged forward and froze, wincing in pain, but Miyagi smirked, pulling him into his warm embrace.

"Let's just stretch out your poor, sore, muscles, shall we?" His hand sunk into the water and Shinobu gasped, softly when he felt a finger poking at his back side.

"Miyagi!"

"Calm down and relax- the water should help it to go in, smoother."

"…Miyagi…" Shinobu rested his head against Miyagi's collar bone and his hands slowly came up to rest on his lover's hips as a finger slid smoothly inside. He let out a small grunt.

"…Gentler?"

"If you were GONNA be… you'd not have done it!"

"Let's see if I can't just poke in another…"

"You don't even listen when others… mmf…" Shinobu shut his eyes, tight.

"…I love you, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi whispered, placing a kiss on Shinobu's temple. "Spread your legs a little…"

Shinobu did as he was told and Miyagi's other hand slid between his thighs, nudging the already hardening length that rest between.

"Miyagi…" Shinobu mumbled, one of his hands sliding to Miyagi's cock. "…I can hold my breath under water for a long time, you…nnn…" He let out a soft moan when Miyagi's fingers hit _that _spot.

"…I know what you're getting at you little horn-dog and it's not happening." Miyagi shut off the still-running water and laid down further in the bath, lifting Shinobu up on top of him. "You can ride me. The bath's not big enough to do something like _that_, anyway- your cute little ass would be sticking out into the air and your balls would freeze."

Shinobu's eyes widened in fury as his entire face went red. "B.A.S.T.A.R.D!!!"

"Here's some soap… it might sting, if I'm not gentle, but… I'll be gentle." Miyagi handed Shinobu the soap so he could prepare the two.

Shinobu huffed, uncapping it and squeezing way too much onto his hand. "Aaack…"

"So much for succeeding at everything."

"Shut up, 157!"

"…What the hell is that?"

"Your age."

"Pft." Miyagi chuckled. "Some random numbers."

"Yep." Shinobu lathered Miyagi's cock with the oozing body soap and then took one of his lover's hands, smearing the rest onto his hand. "Finish prepping me."

Annoyed that Shinobu had smeared the soap onto his left hand, Miyagi clapped his hands together, then slid one down and behind Shinobu's rump, sliding a finger in with ease. His other fingers began toying with one of Shinobu's nipples.

Miyagi smirked, glancing up at his lover's face when a low moan emitted from the boy's mouth.

Shinobu's face was so easy to read during these times… and Miyagi loved seeing Shinobu's face while they made love. Though he may not ever admit it, Shinobu, too, loved seeing his older lover's face- whenever his eyes were open enough to see, that is.

Miyagi's fingers abandoned Shinobu's nipple and both hands aided in the penetration of the already panting teen. One hand moved to steady Miyagi's cock, the other moved to Shinobu's hips, slowly guiding him down.

Miyagi groaned as his cock sloooowly filled his lover. Each second dragged on until he was fully sheathed. "…Start moving…"

"Not yet." Shinobu mumbled, squirming a little.

"…You alright?" Miyagi inquired.

"…No…" Shinobu muttered. "It feels bigger than usual…"

"What the hell does that mean? It's not like it grew." Miyagi huffed, pinching Shinobu's nipple for being so slow about it.

"OW! What happened to being gentle?!" Shinobu snapped, placing both hands on his cock and stroking. "Just wait a minute… it feels so amazing…"

"What the hell?" Miyagi huffed. "Just gonna sit there and wank on me?"

"Y-yes… enjoy the show- I'll be good to go for round two in a minute- you're good for about three orgasms, but me, I could come all night! I'm young, and vibrant like that." Shinobu snapped, pumping faster. "…Touch me, again."

Despite his earlier protests and his impatience, Miyagi raised both hands up to Shinobu's upper half, sliding them up, along his lower abs and, then sides, brushing his thumbs across each nipple.

Shinobu's ass tightened around his cock as cum began leaking from the younger man's stiff cock. "Aaah… Miyagi…"

Miyagi leaned forward, licking Shinobu's right nipple, his other finger sliding into Shinobu's mouth and the boy moaned, coming all over Miyagi's chest.

"Hmm…" Miyagi lay back down with a smirk, sliding his finger out of Shinobu's mouth as the boy panted. He pinched Shinobu's nipple again, huffing. "Now start moving your hips."

"Give me a sec…" Shinobu huffed.

"Oh you are spoiled. I thought you didn't want me to think negatively of you?"

"Asshole…" Shinobu sighed, coming down from his high. "…Put me back in the mood."

"What happened to all that vibrant, youthful- God DAMN!" Miyagi gawked as Shinobu's flaccid penis began hardening again, all on its own.

"Seeing you covered in my cum is kind of erotic…" Shinobu admitted.

"Don't say that kind of thing out loud." Miyagi snapped, annoyed, stroking Shinobu's sensitive foreskin before rubbing his balls, gently.

"Mm…" The teen mewled and squirmed before placing his hands on Miyagi's chest. "Kay, that's good… if I push, will you go under water?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"I'm good, brat. Move."

"If you go under, I'll LAUGH."

"I'll drown you."

Shinobu pushed on Miyagi's chest and raised his hips, sloooowly. Miyagi groaned before grunting as Shinobu sat back down on him. The sound of skin smacking against skin, coupled with the splashing water turned both men on, and Shinobu sped up, picking up rhythm, quickly."Aaah… Miyagi…" Shinobu shut his eyes, bouncing faster, ignoring the water that splashed out of the tub and onto the floor. "I'm coming."

"Not without me, you're not." Miyagi snapped, gripping onto Shinobu's cock and thrusting up, grunting with each thrust. Shinbou moaned softly and Miyagi continued thrusting a few more times, annoyed that Shinobu had come without him again, but when his eyes fell on that blissfully sinful face, he moaned his lover's name and came, too.

Both men panted for a moment before Shinobu raised his hips, letting Miyagi slide out of him.

"Miyagi… I love you…" Shinobu mumbled, quietly, resting his head against Miyagi's chest.

'He's such a kid… muttering stuff like that due to the euphoric feeling…My eyes are definitely going bad… my whole mind… I just think he's absolutely the cutest person in the world… at times like this…' Miyagi thought, tiredly, running his fingers through Shinobu's damp hair. "It's two to one- show me how long you can hold your breath."

"Hmm?" Shinobu blinked, tiredly.

"Go on. Stick your ass in the air and let your balls dangle in the cold. See if you get hard after that." Miyagi spread his legs a little and Shinobu sank deeper into the water as a result, glowering up at the snarky bastard.

"You prick! I'm not giving you head, _now_!!! I'm good."

"What do you mean, 'I'm good,' you damn brat?!"

"I mean I'm good. I'm done."

"…Well **I'M** not!" Miyagi snapped. 'I take it all back! He's not cute at all!!! Damn brat!'

"You said you'd be gentle with me."Shinobu argued.

"This is contingent on you being gentle and sweet back. Until you learn how to speak to me without making some snarky comment about me being old, you're gonna take it rough."

"Fine, I'll do it…" Shinobu sighed, annoyed, sinking further into the bath but NOT raising his ass in the air. He opted, instead to curl up under the water after taking in a deep breath.

After a moment, he raised back up, spitting water out, disgusted.

"You can't hold your breath very long at all, can you?" Miyagi arched a brow, bemused.

"It's covered in SOAP!"

Miyagi busted up laughing, having forgotten this fact as Shinobu sputtered out more water.

-..- . -..-

"Usagi-saaan…" Misaki turned over, tiredly. His awareness of time was completely thrown off. "…I feel weird…"

"Why's that?" Usami muttered into his pillow, barely awake enough to provide a coherent response.

"…Like… I don't know what time it is… feels like I'm waking up, late…" Misaki mumbled, turning over onto his back and rubbing his face, exhaustedly.

"Oh?" Usami wasn't really listening- he was on automatic.

"…Mm…" Misaki reached over for the night stand, checking his cell. "…but it's still early…"

"…Revolve around me, some more."

"GYAH!!!" Misaki gawked as strong arms enveloped him from behind, suddenly, and he felt his lover's nose on his shoulder.

"I love you… Misaki…" Usami mumbled. "To be here… with you… makes me so happy…"

"…Oh…?" Misaki laughed, nervously. The seriousness in his lover's voice and the fact that the man wasn't groping or fondling him put him on edge… and sent tingles down his spine and to his nether regions, oddly enough…

'…What's wrong with me…?' Misaki thought, annoyed. 'Even though I'm happy Usagi-san isn't touching me inappropriately, like usual, which great… suddenly I feel like being touched…? I wonder if perversity is contagious… or maybe it's just Usagi-san's love that puts me in the mood… what a girlish thing to feel…"

"I know the jet lag must be rough… sorry if this trip is taking a hard toll on you." Usami mumbled, tiredly.

"_You know, living with your constantly half-assed feelings must be a tad troublesome." _

Misaki recalled his friend's words from the night, before.

"…It's not taking a toll on me… I'm also… happy to be here, with Usagi-san…" Misaki admitted. "…Are… you… hungry?"

"…No…" Usami told him, inhaling his lover's scent when he pressed a kiss to the nape of the brunette's neck. "…Going back to bed for a bit… you said it's early… wake me in an hour if you're awake."

"…Oh…Okay…" Misaki flushed as Usami detached himself and laid down in the bed, crumpling himself up among the blankets and sheets… and Suzuki-san.

Misaki's eye twitched.

"…Usagi-san… we can't even go on a romantic trip without… gughh… never mind."

"He doesn't mean it." Suzuki-san was sucked into the blanket burrito.

Sighing, Misaki lazed about for a moment, inwardly willing himself to get out of the comfortable bed. Finally, he rolled off the bed and got to his feet, sticking his cold toes into the warm slippers that awaited him. Turning, he opened the door and heading out to find something to eat.

He turned to close the door and blinked when the boy from earlier ran past him.

"Mikey… don't get lost, again." He warned, and Mikey stopped, looking at him, confused, then turned and ran off, happily.

"…" Misaki shook his head, sighing, then jumped out of the way as Mikey's dad ran past, shouting after his son in English, probably saying the same thing Misaki just had.

Shinobu opened the door to his room, a few doors down, also gawking when he saw the two running about.

"Shinobu!" Misaki called out to him to attract his attention, happily, and Shinobu glanced up, blinking.

"Misaki!" Shinobu smiled.

"Doesn't it feel like it's really late?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah, a little." Shinobu nodded. "I felt weird when I woke up, too. Is Usami-san asleep?"

"Yeah. Professor Miyagi, as well?"

"No… I'm actually looking for him." Shinobu admitted. "He headed out a bit ago."

"Did he? Where to?" Misaki inquired.

"He said he was going to get eggs, but that was like an hour ago." Shinobu sighed. "…Haven't seen him?"

"No… I just got up." Misaki stated. "It's so early… but it feels so late…"

"…Nine o'clock is not early… to me." Shinobu blinked, confused.

"It is for a regular college student." Misaki huffed.

"Pfft… whatever." Shinobu huffed. "Your whole sense of time is warped. Don't any of your classes start around nine?"

"I took mid-day to afternoon classes, this semester."

"What classes are you in?"

"Eh?"

"Just making small talk… want to help me find Miyagi?"

"I'm going to get breakfast… did you say he went to get eggs?"

"Yeah- so he could cook me 'an American' breakfast, since he thinks it'll be easy for me to pick up on."

"…Huh?" Misaki arched a brow, confused. "How would he cook it?"

"…In our suite."

"There's a stove?!"

"Yeah- and an oven, and a fridge."

"…WHAT?! How much did the room cost?! Did you also have free tickets?"

"…No… Miyagi paid for it…"

"…Wow! Must have been expensive if it has all that… how come your huge sweet is only three doors down from mine?!"

". . ." Shinobu's brow twitched. "…Can I come into your room?" Without waiting for a reply, the teen permitted himself access to his friend's suite, entering, quietly.

"Eh? O…kay…" Misaki blinked, following Shinobu into his room.

Shinobu paused a moment, glancing over at Usami. "…He looks kind of scary when he sleeps…"

"Yeah… he's worse as soon as he wakes up…"

"Mm…" Shinobu turned back to his mission, pointing at the closet door. "It's in there."

"What is?" Misaki blinked.

"Open it."

"That's just a closet."

"No. It's not."

"YES. I tossed my coat in there, last night." Misaki whispered.

"Did you LOOK where you were tossing?"

"…?" Misaki opened the door and gawked. It led to another room.

"See-" Shinobu began, but Misaki slammed the door closed.

"Oops!"

"…Oops?"

"Someone else's room…"

"…NO. It's part of YOURS." Shinobu had the sudden urge to throttle his friend.

"…WOW!" Misaki threw the door open, excitedly, running inside. "How cool! Why would they hide it behind a door, though?"

"So you have privacy in the bedroom, I assume- though it's kind of backwards… this hotel is not well-designed."

"Well, it was designed by a person who is not Japanese, so of course." Misaki shrugged and Shinobu laughed, kneeling down to pick up the jacket that Misaki had carelessly tossed inside, without looking.

"You're a little ethnocentric, Misaki."

"Do what, now? Oooh… I want to shop and bring some stuff to cook with!"

"…Why? You are in a hotel… order room service."

"…Nope! I want to cook!"

"Maybe you'll see Miyagi at the store."

"Aww… come with me…" Misaki whined. "I can't speak English, properly."

"Eh?" Shinobu blinked. "…How did you plan on getting breakfast?"

"I know: 'eggs' and 'money' and 'thank you.'"

"…Yeeeaaah, I better go with you."

"OOOH! Let's get ingredients for a cake for Kusama-san!"

"Ingredients? Wouldn't it be better just to buy a cake?"

"…No."

"…Okay." Shinobu sighed. "Let me go get some money."

"Banzai!"

"Quuiiiieeeet…" Usami whined from inside the room, and a Shinobu blinked as Suzuki-san nailed Misaki in the face. (2)

"Sorry, Usagi-san…" Misaki tossed him back. "We're heading out."

"Get beer."

"…We're not old enough, here." Misaki huffed. "…We're not old enough anywhere… C'mon, Shinobu." He trotted off with his friend.

As soon as the two made it into the hallway, the door to Shinobu's suite closed.

Excitedly, the teen ditched his friend and ran for his suite, but Hiroki's door opened, slamming into him with full force.

"AAAH-!!!" Misaki's jaw dropped and he rushed to his friend's side as he stumbled backward and ended up on his rump.

Groaning, (without _saying the word 'groan,'_ mind you), Shinobu rubbed at his nose and glowered upward at the devil himself.

"Oops. You alright?" Hiroki asked, offering his hand down but Misaki helped Shinobu up.

"Anooo… Sensei, you probably shouldn't be throwing doors open so hard, or offering to help people up with your…" Misaki trailed off at the glower he received. "Buuuuut then again, you're a full-grown adult, you should be able to make such decisions for yourself, I suppose- A-ha-ha-haaa…"

"It's practically healed." Hiroki snapped, raising his shirt to show them that the scar was healing. …Which didn't appear to be.

"…Gross… put it away." Shinobu snapped.

"It's not that big… Isn't the appendix a very small… organ… thing?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah, it is." Hiroki stated.

"Did it hurt?" Shinobu inquired.

"Dunno, I was knocked out… apparently I also ran around the hospital right after my operation, but I don't remember that, either…"

"Yeah!" Misaki perked. "Shinobu found you."

"…He did?" Hiroki blinked, a tad surprised by this revelation.

"Yeah," Misaki patted Shinobu on the back with a happy smile. "Even though you two don't seem to get along, Shinobu helped you and was also worried about you!"

"…Huh…" Hiroki averted his gaze, blushing very lightly. "…Dunno what the hell I was doing… I guess I was disoriented or something."

"…You were looking for Kusama-san." Shinobu huffed, folding his arms, annoyed. "That's the first thing you asked when I grabbed you! You asked if he was okay. In your messed up, disoriented head, you must have thought that because you were at the hospital, HE was hurt… I don't know what kind of drugs they gave you, but-"

"Shinobu-chin!" Miyagi opened the door, happily. "Where- oh… uke convention."

"UKE CON-!!!" Hiroki turned, furiously. "YOU BASTARD!!!"

"Well, why are you all out here? Ah- I can see why Shinobu- he'd… he was probably looking for me, and Kamijou was _heartlessly abandoned," _He placed a hand over his heart, sadly, "But Takahashi-kun should be with Usami-san… or was he also heartlessly abandoned?"

"HOW DO YOU-?!!" Hiroki's jaw dropped.

"I'm abandoning… we decided to bake a cake for Kusama-san!" Misaki perked. "Shinobu and I."

"…HIM…? BAKE???" Miyagi's eye twitched. "…I'd better help. Kamijou? Can you bake?"

"Where's Kusama-san?" Shinobu blinked. "What do you mean he abandoned Kamijou-san?"

"Why's your face all red?"

"I got hit in the face with a door- can you not be A.D.D. for a moment and answer my question?"

"YEAH, ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Hiroki huffed.

Misaki wondered if Hiroki was antsy because he wanted to know how Miyagi knew, or if it was because he didn't want Miyagi to find out he had just about broken Shinobu's nose with his door.

"Just bumped into him. That's all… what do you mean bashed in the face?"

"With a door."

"More importantly," Hiroki interjected. "What did Nowaki say to you?! Did he say anything about me?"

"…Heee saaaaiiid…" Miyagi tilted and turned his head about, OBVIOUSLY stalling. "…That… you should be careful not to bash people in the face with doors… because… their lovers… might _FIRE YOUR ASS._"

"Did he, now?" Hiroki huffed. "Next time you see him, tell him he doesn't have to worry about that, since my boss wouldn't fire the only source of any work getting done."

"…Then he'd probably reply with: I'm pretty sure his boss is a very hard worker who absolutely took care of everything while his beloved _Hiro-san_ was out, pretending to be sick!"

"I _**WAS**_ SICK!!! YOU CAME TO VISIT ME IN THE HOSPITAL!!!"

"Do you have a doctor's note?"

"I DID, before you rolled it up into a cigarette and smoked it in the hospital!"

Misaki busted up laughing at that last one. "Seriously… Usagi-san, too… Come on, Shinobu- let's go. We have a limited amount of time!"

"Ah…" Shinobu nodded. "I still haven't gotten my money."

"Oh- right… Go get it." Misaki nodded.

"Miyagi?"

"Hah?" Miyagi turned from his battle with his subordinate to his lover, curiously.

"Give me some money."

"WHAT THE **CRAP**?!"

"I spent mine on junk food."

"You don't even LIKE chocolate, what's with you, lately?!"

"…I'm trying to gain some weight."

"What?! Why?!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you! Just give me money!"

"Okay, okay…" Miyagi huffed. "You better pay me back."

"I will!" Shinobu huffed, snagging the credit card that was handed to him and hurrying off with Misaki.

"What if he's ID'd?" Hiroki asked.

"They won't ID him. They'll take one look at the name, look at him, see that he's Japanese, and won't ask any questions." Miyagi shrugged.

"…Oh…" Hiroki nodded. "So I take it they're baking Nowaki a cake."

"Evidently." Miyagi shrugged. "Don't worry- I'll give Shinobu a side-project… like… cookies, or something… so he doesn't destroy the cake."

"Did Nowaki really not say anything about me?!" Hiroki snapped.

"He said exactly what I said- all that noise about hitting people with doors. . . So, you're alone, now?"

"What about it?"

"…I'm making eggs. You want some?"

"What the hell kind of romantic getaway is this?" Hiroki sighed, exasperatedly. "your brat runs off with Akihiko's brat, Nowaki ditches me to hook up with you for breakfast, and Akihiko's probably still a-fuckin'-sleep."

"…So yes? No? I'm hungry."

"...I ate with Nowaki, about an hour or so ago, thanks." Hiroki sighed. "…But I will get a sofa cover from the staff downstairs… Where's the party at?"

"…Mmm… my place, I think."

"Kay, you have a couch?"

"Yeah, two- the room is seriously huge."

"Okay, I'll be back in ten minutes. You'll be in there?"

"Yep!"

-..- . -..-

Shinobu sighed, annoyed, tying a pink, flowery sofa cover over the couch that sat against the furthest wall.

"Man, I'm still hungry…" Miyagi muttered as he preheated the oven. " . . . Hey . . . Did you guys get oven mitts?"

"AH CRAP!" Shinobu growled.

"Can't they just use a shirt?" Hiroki asked, entering with some balloons.

"Balloons!" Shinobu and Miyagi cheered. Hiroki huffed.

"Can't have a party without balloons."

"No popping them in peoples' faces, please, **SHINOBU.**" Miyagi snapped. "Kamijou, did you bring anything to eat?"

"Quit eating so much." Hiroki snapped. "Our department is doing that weight watching thing, this month."

"…Right, right." Miyagi sighed. "…That must be why Shinobu-chin is on a weird health-related kick… Hey, don't monitor my food intake, Kamijou!"

"You've eaten four of those cookies already." Hiroki snapped. "I'll stop monitoring if you stop eating them all."

"And you? Kamijou?" Miyagi asked. "Just how many bottles of that there medicine have you been sucking down?" He gestured to the cold medicine Hiroki was working the cap off of.

"None of your business! Away from work, I don't have to answer to _you._" The brunette huffed.

"Don't drink that- that's night-time medicine." Shinobu advised.

"Night-time?" Hiroki asked. "This'll put me to sleep?"

"Yes, and unless you REALLY want to offend your lover, by falling asleep and completely neglecting him on your romantic weekend get-away, I'd highly recommend _not _drinking it." Shinobu told the older brunette.

". . . Ever heard of 'letting it go,' Shinobu?" Miyagi sighed, pouring some water from his glass down the drain in the sink.

Hiroki guzzled down nearly the entire bottle. 'If I want to neglect Nowaki? Nowaki is the one neglecting me.' Sighing, he watched Miyagi's class empty. "How is it that you two have a suite with an oven and sink, and kitchen area?" Hiroki folded his arms. "Professor, how much more than me do you make?!"

"I sold a lung to pay for this suite." Miyagi blatantly lied.

"No one would want a smoker's lung." Hiroki snapped. "And no one would want any part of you inside of them."

Shinobu glared. "That's---!" And he trailed off, eyes widening and face flushing when he realized what he was about to say.

Hiroki blinked before narrowing his eyes and patting Shinobu on the shoulder. "We'll both think before we speak, from now on, okay?"

Shinobu nodded, glaring at the floor.

"Kamijou, don't you also have the same type of suite? Your room is just a few doors down from mine."

"How do you know where my room is? Creepy professor?"

"I saw your lover, earlier, heading out."

"…Oh." Hiroki sulked and Miyagi's brow twitched. "Right…"

"That Takahashi-kun said he was making a really nice cake, by the way, so he'll be coming by in a few minutes." Miyagi informed the two, suddenly. "Shinobu-chin, why don't you take him to the store to buy some oven mitts?"

"Yeah…? Where will you be?" Shinobu asked.

"Here?" Miyagi blinked. "You speak better English than I do, and it would be cruel to send Takahashi-kun by himself, since his English is just as poor as Kamijou is pretending his is."

"Pretending?" Shinobu blinked, glancing at Hiroki with an arched brow.

Hiroki flushed, noticeably, glowering daggers into the back of his boss' head.

"He speaks English fluently. Honestly, how did he really expect everyone in our group to believe that a Lit major couldn't speak English… and a university professor, no less? I wonder what he's scheming in that little bird-sized brain of his."

"Professor! Please don't talk about people as though they aren't standing four feet behind you!!" Hiroki snapped.

"So why is it?" Shinobu folded his arms, annoyed. "Why are you pretending you can't speak English?"

Hiroki averted his gaze. "…So Nowaki wouldn't leave… The reason that Carter guy found out about him being here is because I accidentally spilled the beans the night before we left… so, on the plane, I pretended I couldn't speak English so that when the guy called, Nowaki might stick around to make sure I'd not get stuck in any awkward situations…"

A strong silence fell upon the three as Hiroki continued sulking and looking absolutely

miserable.

"So, Shinobu-chin, go find Takahashi-kun and take him along with you. It would be more convenient for you to two to go."

"…But he's staying here!" Shinobu gestured to Hiroki, who began blowing up a balloon.

"Shinobu-chin…" Miyagi rubbed his forehead, getting a headache. "We'll both be busy decorating."

Shinobu huffed, grabbing his jacket off the back of a chair and storming out.

"Shinobu!" Miyagi called before sighing, scratching his head when Shinobu slammed the door shut.

FWUMP!!!

Miyagi blinked, glancing over his shoulder.

Hiroki had passed out.

"What the flying_** fuck**_." Miyagi groaned, heading over and sitting the brunette up, slapping his cheek, gently, thrice. "Kamijou- you aren't allowed to blow up balloons. You just sit there and look… conscious."

Hiroki's eyes slowly opened. "I want to help."

"Help by staying conscious! HONESTLY, how can you still be sick! Are you milking it?"

"I'm not sick, I'm perfectly well!" Hiroki argued. "I just blew it up and didn't take enough oxygen! I can blow up a simple balloon!"

"EVIDENTLY NOT." Miyagi slapped a balloon out of his subordinate's hands. "Get serious a moment and try to stay awake long enough to listen to what I have to say."

"Is this about you running into Nowaki? I'm getting tired of you pushing your way into my business. Stay the hell out of it."

"What the-?!" Miyagi grabbed either of Hiroki's cheeks, tugging them in opposite directions, annoyed. "Regardless of where we go or whether or not we're on the clock, I still had to clean up the mess you made in the library and struggle for twenty minutes, trying to decide on whether I should go home, knock and ask if the moaning and grunting sounds I overheard after following the watery trail were from pain or pleasure, and then I had to stay to clean up that mess! In summary: On or off the clock, I am your KING."

"Yes, my liege…" Hiroki groaned, rubbing his cheeks as soon as Miyagi was merciful enough to release them. "…Hey wait! What about that time I walked in on the two of YOU?!"

"Doing what?! I was being attacked- I was the victim, there." Miyagi huffed. "Besides, I didn't leave behind any gooey DNA to-"

"PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYMORE!" Hiroki snapped, face burning with humiliation.

"…Aww, it wasn't that bad…" Miyagi sighed. "I just played Tetris on my phone while waiting."

" . . . . . . "

"…Anyway…" Hiroki sat down, annoyed. "…Want me to hang up some streamers?"

"Impossible, Kamijou." Miyagi scolded. "You look like a dead zombie. Here, have some… no… coffee will most likely not be a good mix, considering all the medicine you've had… Have some water." Miyagi headed into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water.

"…As opposed to a live-zombie?" Hiroki mumbled.

"What?" Miyagi asked.

"Nothing… do you have any ice?"

"Yeah, you want ice?"

"No, I thought I'd just ask, in case we need to build an igloo."

"I'll pretend you just said 'yes please,' like a considerate individual." Miyagi's eye twitched.

"Your kid is mad."

"He's not my- you bastard." Miyagi returned.

"Why is he so jealous of me?" Hiroki took the ice-water that had been held out.

"I don't really know." Miyagi folded his arms. "It's not like you have any redeeming qualities that most people would be envious of."

Hiroki stopped in mid-drink, glaring.

"Wrinkles, wrinkles." Miyagi poked the bridge of his own nose, for emphasis. "You know… it must be because I'm always trying to stop all our books from landing on you…"

"Maybe we should _really _clean our office… or you could keep your hands to yourself… or we could- ah- can you hand me that trash receptacle?"

Miyagi blinked, handing him the small trash can. "Or we could what?"

"BLEEH!!!" Hiroki vomited into the trash receptacle, and Miyagi gawked. "…Or we could-"

"KAMIJOU! Go to your apartment and get some rest! Leave the freaking party to Shinobu, Takahashi and me, and go to freakin' bed!!!"

"…No, I'm fine, really- this is all medicine!"

"Uuuugh…" A gargled, throaty sound emitted from Miyagi as his eye twitched. "…That shit's bad enough going down…"

"…Can I talk to you about something?" Hiroki asked, wiping his forehead on his hand.

"Is it work-related?" Miyagi asked, taking a drag off his smoke and blowing up a balloon, watching, amused, as it filled with smoke, momentarily. "…WOW!"

"…You're a spaz." Hiroki snapped. "I wanted to ask you about 'my friend' again." (3)

"Ugh." Miyagi's eye twitched.

"…You were the one initiating the conversation, earlier." He huffed.

"Fine, fine, what is it?"

"…Did he tell you what it is he's hiding from me?"

". . . Uuuuh…." Miyagi averted his gaze, hurriedly busying himself with streamers. "Nooo…?"

". . ." Hiroki's brow twitched. "HEY! He DID, didn't he?!"

"Of course not…?"

"When you trail off and then your voice gets high at the end, it's obvious you're lying!"

"He didn't." Miyagi said, flatly.

"…Why do people always tell YOU of all people these things?!"

"I have an extremely wonderful personality- people just want to open up to me!"

"…Must be your face."

"Yeah."

"The large, gaping eyes like you're an idiot, and the poor work ethic which fools others into believing you've nothing better to do than listen to their problems…"

"…"

-..- . -..-

"What're you doing?" Usami muttered as he awoke, rubbing his eye, exhaustedly.

"Getting ready to make a cake!" Misaki smiled, brightly. "For Kusama-san's birthday… you can sleep in, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Bake a cake?" Usami yawned. "Didn't I hear you and that Takatsuki-kun going out for ingredients, earlier?"

"We forgot oven mitts and utensils." Misaki laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Usagi-san, it's almost noon… you should really get-"

The teen was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"…?" Misaki blinked, cocking his head to the side. "Come in?"

Shinobu opened the door and blinked. "Good morning, Usami-san."

"Good morning, Takatsuki-kun…" Usami mumbled.

"You don't seem like much of a morning person." Shinobu commented. "But then it's not morning, so I don't know what I base this on. Misaki, let's go get some oven mitts."

"…" Usami's eyes narrowed. "I'll go, too."

"Eh? I'll go." Misaki stated.

"Forget it." Usami snapped. "You stay. I'm going."

"…?" Shinobu arched a brow. "…Fine. He and I will go. Misaki, you stay here."

"EH? EH??!" Misaki glanced from one, then the other, confused. "Why can't I go?"

"BECAUSE." The two snapped. Misaki's brow twitched. Maybe these two had a little too much in common… Sighing, he shrugged, defeatedly. "Fine… Go. I'll take the ingredients to your room, Shinobu."

"Good. You keep an eye on Miyagi and that Devil Kamijou, guy." Shinobu nodded and turned, heading off.

"…Hah?" Misaki's brow twitched. "What exactly… am I to look out for?"

"Ah- yeah… we'll need money, too. Come on." Shinobu led the way and the two followed suit. Misaki stopped in the doorway, blocking it, annoyed. "…Usagi-san! CHANGE, FIRST!"

"Mm?" The groggy man glanced down at his clothes…

Or lack thereof.

"Miyagi!"

Misaki turned, following Shinobu down the hall like a duckling, careful to pull away to the opposite side of the hall as he passed Kamijou's suite- empty or no, it was too dangerous to risk walking close to the door.

Shinobu opened the door to his and his lover's hotel suite and his face went red, eye twitching.

". . ." Miyagi glanced up from his position atop his assistant- straddling him.

"WHY?!" Shinobu bellowed, furiously.

"Haa?" Miyagi blinked, releasing Hiroki's shirt collar. "…Is this why you always think I'm- GYAA!!" he ducked as a couch cushion shot his way. He dodged another, and then raised Hiroki, using him as a human shield for the last, which hit the man square on the head, bouncing off.

". . . PROFESSOR!"

"It's soft, it didn't hurt."

"THEN _**YOU**_ TAKE IT, NEXT TIME!"

"Why were you on top of him?!" Shinobu fumed.

"I was punishing him!"

"!!!"

"…That came out wrong… I was going to murder him."

"PROVE IT! FOLLOW THROUGH!"

"WHAT?!!" Hiroki gawked.

"If it's what you want, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi pulled off Hiroki's belt with ease and Shinobu growled.

"WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?!!"

"Gonna choke him to death, with his own belt?"

"STOP DOING THINGS THAT ARE SO EASILY MISINTERPRETED! YOU'RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE, AREN'T YOU!?"

"Ano…" Misaki's brow twitched. "…K-kohai… shouldn't we get going?"

"Shinobu! It's Shinobu!" Shinobu snapped.

"SHINOBU. Let's go." Misaki whined.

"Coming." Shinobu muttered, annoyed.

"No. Misaki stays." Usami appeared in the doorway. He paused, glancing inside at his childhood friend and the ill-looking man's superior. "…Hiroki, are you feeling well?"

"YES."

"…It's more convenient for me to believe you." Usami's brow twitched. "But I wouldn't be a good friend if I let that slide."

'Do good friends write smut about their supposedly good friends?!!' Hiroki thought, annoyed.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Usami inquired, looking around.

"We're throwing a birthday party for him, so I told him to get lost." Hiroki blatantly lied.

"Where'd he go?"

"For a drive!"

"In what car?"

"He rented one!"

"Hmmm…" Usami obviously didn't believe him, but wasn't going to delve any further when Hiroki obviously didn't feel like being honest. "…Fine… Let's go, Takatsuki-kun."

"Misaki, make sure you watch them closely!" Shinobu snapped, heading off.

"WAAAAaaaaait wait wait wait waitwaitwait!" Miyagi leapt up, grabbing hold of Shinobu's wrist. "Where are you going?!"

"…To the store, like you asked me to!"

"And _with whom_?!"

"…Usami-san." Shinobu gestured.

"I thought you were going with Takahashi-kun."

"I was. But then Usami-san decided he wanted to go with me, and I want to go with him."

"…Why aren't you two taking Takahashi-kun? He's your new friend and his lover…?"

"…He doesn't want to go." Shinobu snapped.

"I DO, TOO!" Misaki whined. "I'm the one who will be doing the baking, so I should be allowed to go!"

"But if you don't start on the cake, now, it's never going to get done in time." Shinobu stated.

"WHAT DO **YOU **KNOW?!" Miyagi snapped.

"Shut up, old man. Usami-san, let's go."

"Ah." Usami turned, heading out.

"…Ugh…" Miyagi's brow twitched and Hiroki blinked.

"Professor… are you… jealous… of Akihiko?" He inquired.

"I'm not jealous at all! I'm concerned!"

"Don't worry, Usagi-san isn't a perv…" Misaki trailed off, quickly switching gears; "Usagi-san loves me, very much." He practically deflated after he'd said it.

Miyagi sighed, annoyed. "What's with those two, anyway?"

"I think Usagi-san is jealous of Shinobu…" Misaki mumbled, brow twitching. "All this jealousy is starting to get irritating."

"…Shinobu-chin is jealous of Kamijou… Usami-san is jealous of… WHY IS USAMI-SAN JEALOUS OF SHINOBU-CHIN?!" Miyagi snapped, confused beyond all reason.

"I noticed that he began looking grumpy when Shinobu called me Misaki." Misaki mumbled, going to the sink to wash his hands.

"…Hmm…" Hiroki nodded. "That might be it… that kid doesn't understand a thing about intimacy- you don't just call someone by their first name…"

"I'm surprised Miyagi-san isn't jealous because he calls me by first name, but he calls Miyagi-san by his surname… Just like Miyagi-san calls Kamijou-sensei 'Kamijou,' rather than 'Kamijou-sensei,' or 'Kamijou-kun.'"

"Kamijou-kun?" Miyagi batted it about a bit. "I feel old, calling him that. Kamijou should be…"

"Ah, yeah… what's your first name? Kusama-san calls you 'Hiro-san,' so it must be… Hiro… something…?" Misaki blinked. "I can't remember… Kamijou-sensei has been… 'Devil Kamijou…' or 'Kamijou-sensei' for so long, that that's all I think of when I see his face…"

"Eh? Ah… It's Hiroki." Hiroki replied.

"…'MisaKI'… 'Hiroki'… 'NowaKI'…" Miyagi blinked. "MiyaKI."

"Miya**GI**." Hiroki snapped, annoyed. "You know your own name! … And that's your FAMILY NAME!"

"I'm conforming."

"Absolutely not!"

Misaki laughed, softly. "I'm surprised Kusama-san doesn't get upset because the two of you are around each other so often. It's good to know he's not the jealous type- not that I'm surprised- he doesn't seem it."

'WRONG.' Hiroki thought, brow twitching. "Nowaki is just very comfortable with our relationship."

"Hmmm…" Miyagi's brow twitched. "…Lying to students. Tsk tsk tsk."

"SHUT UP, PROFESSOR!"

"And to your childhood friend, too. But not to ME?! I'm so special!"

"You're special alright." The brunette grumbled. "…It's not that you're special, got it?! Don't go saying anything more which can be misinterpreted! It's just that… you HAPPENED to run into him this morning, so I need information out of you- that's all!"

"Run into… Kusama-san?" Misaki blinked.

"You've already said too much!" Hiroki snapped at Miyagi, who huffed.

"…You asked… oh well- it's probably for the better that Takahashi-kun stayed- Kamijou, can you bake worth a piss?"

"I can bake a cake." Hiroki huffed.

"Alright, let's get started." Miyagi rolled up his sleeves.

"Oh… alright." Misaki smiled.

-..- . -..-

"Eggs?" Usami raised a carton of eggs.

"No, we got all the ingredients, we just forgot whisks, spatulas, cake cutters, oven mitts, trays, bowls, and… whipped cream."

"…I want eggs." Usami placed them in the cart.

"Don't put them there, they'll get smashed." Shinobu scolded.

"They'll be fine."

"So why are you getting all uppity with regard to my calling Misaki by his given name?" Shinobu inquired, annoyed.

"Only a few select people call him that. He may not think it's important- along with the rest of your generation, but calling someone by their given name is very intimate."

"…So what if I want to have a somewhat intimate relationship with him?" Shinobu huffed.

"What do you mean by that?" Usami huffed.

"I…" Shinobu sighed. "…You… have always had that devil as your friend, right?"

"…Hiroki? …Yes." Usami replied, caught off guard.

"…I've never told anyone that I… like men… except Miyagi… because of that, I have to read or go online if I want to find out about things without finding out first-hand… you know… about… _this _or _that_… so to have someone else, a friend, around my age, who is going through similar experiences… you must be able to identify with me."

"…" Usami thought this over before sighing. "…I understand… but still…" He sighed, annoyed. "He still calls me Usagi-san. That title is dear to me, but to heart him call me Akihiko… that would be very special, _to me._ So, to hear you call him by his given name, and to hear him call you by yours, it… makes me jealous."

"…At least you're honest about it." Shinobu sighed. "Honest guys like you …I like you a lot."

"…I like you, too." Usami stated. "It is nice to know someone else who is straightforward about their feelings. Neither Misaki nor Hiroki are like that at all."

"Miyagi isn't always straightforward, either…"

"…So you don't call him by his given name, either? I wonder why… I wonder how many years two people have to be together before they will call one another by their given name, or if it's just due to cultural constraints…"

"…Hmm… I'm not confined by such things, since I've spent so much time in a far less 'civilized' society." Shinobu mocked his own culture, momentarily. "…Still… there were things Australia got right and there were things it got wrong, same as Japan… and same here. Ketchup chips, for example." Shinobu grabbed some off of a shelf. "Canada got them right."

"What does Australia have on Japan?" Usami inquired.

"They're far more open about homosexuality, for one- just like Canada. That's Canada: 2, Australia: 1 and Japan: 0."

Usami laughed. "Well, Japan has credit-card accessible vending machines. Here, you have to have EXACT change."

"The vending machine on the floor above the one we're staying on takes fives."

"Does it?"

"Yeah."

"…Eating junk food isn't a good way to gain weight, by the way." Usami blocked another bag of ketchup chips from making their way into the cart. Shinobu fumed, kneeling down to pick them up off of the floor.

"These are souvenirs!"

"For whom?"

"…Myself…"

"You should eat meat, and drink milk, and eat vegetables…" Usami huffed.

"I'm growing at just the right rate!" Shinobu huffed.

"That's what Misaki says, too."

"…What kind of meat?"

"All kinds offer different vitamins and nutrients which are beneficial to your health. The redder meats have iron, but poultry is supposedly less fattening."

"Hmm…" Shinobu thought about it. "…Do eggs count?"

"…They're not less fattening."

"How do you know about all that? Aren't you a writer?"

"You'd be surprised at what all you have to research into when you are a writer." Usami stated. "You're going into law, right?"

"Ah? Yeah… I am."

"That's the field I went into, originally."

"I know. I read up on you, a bit."

"…If you ever have a question on something, you can ask."

"…Huh? About law, you mean?"

"…Or other things… _This _or _that."_

"…" Shinobu blinked, before smiling, lightly. "…Ah… Alright."

"…So…" Usami turned down an aisle. "…Did you happen to hear anything about Hiroki?"

"Mmm…?" Shinobu blinked. "I heard he was 'heartlessly abandoned.'"

"…What's that mean?"

"Well, 'abandoned' is synonymous with being ditched and neglected, and the 'heartlessly' part indicates to me that Kusama-san's disappearance was inconsiderate- which I find myself easily agreeing with, considering the situation… but my feelings on the matter are that Kusama-san and Kamijou-san must have gotten into some sort of fight and that Kusama-san left for some reason… I think for work."

"WORK?" Usami huffed. "…What an idiot."

"I know… not very Kusama-like, is it?"

"Not at all… very out of character… unless I've been writing him out of character… but that can't be…"

"…It could… some of the things your character says aren't things Kusama-san would say."

"…Didn't you just barely meet him last week or so?!"

"…About two weeks… how long have you known him?"

"I've been aware of his existence for the past six years or so."

"Hmm… well, I got to know him relatively well." Shinobu huffed. "I guess your characterization is close."

"He hasn't bought him a ring though- did you get to that part?"

"Yes."

The two men froze, and slowly glanced at one another.

"You don't think he'd…"

"That would explain the disappearance…"

"…Hah…" Usami thought about it. "…Misaki wouldn't like such a thing… so soon… I suppose…"

"You don't think so?" Shinobu blinked.

"Would you want something like that?"

"I'm not Misaki- I'm Shinobu-sama."

"True… true… but would you?"

"Mmm… I don't think that's even really possible. First of all. Miyagi is a tad anti-marriage since his sucked… second, our relationship has to stay secret, so if we both suddenly had rings, it would look suspicious- so he'd never do such a thing."

"Ah…" Usami huffed. "You still haven't answered my question."

"IF he got me one, and that's hypothetical, since it would NEVER happen," Shinobu huffed. "Of COURSE I'd like it. I like it any time he gives me stuff. I treasure everything he gives me."

"Huh…" Usami shrugged. "…England was a good place to live, too, I suppose…"

"Oh yeah, you spent some time there, huh? What's it got on Japan?"

"…I don't know…" Usami decided he didn't want to talk about his stay, there. "…What's Canada have that's so great? Other than ketchup chips?"

"Gay marriage." Shinobu snapped.

"Oh, right…"

"…Really…" Shinobu flushed. "I was really excited when I found out we were coming but… he hasn't done it once…"

"Done it?"

"Not _that…_ but… because… here, tolerance… respect, as I prefer to look at it as… for homosexuals is much greater… so… the thought of walking down a street, holding hands… something that's daring and frowned upon in Japan… to do something like that, here… that would be…" his face flushed.

"…I want to do it with Misaki, too." Usami decided and Shinobu glared.

"HEY! DON'T TAKE MY DREAMS!"

-..- . -..-

"Carter-sensei!" Nowaki hurried toward his friend, smiling. "It's good to see you!"

"Nowaki." The man stood with a smile, holding out his hand. Nowaki took it, shaking it as soon as he approached the man. "It's good to see you, too. JESUS, did you grow, again?"

"Ah? No... not since last time." Nowaki told him. "Did you want to do lunch?"

"Mm? You in a hurry?" Carter smiled.

"Yes, I am." Nowaki admitted. "I'm here with my lover for a romantic getaway. I don't want to lea-"

"What? That old bastard didn't say anything about that, or I'd not have called you all the way out here! How long do you have?"

"Just the weekend, but lunch with you is important, as well- after all, you were so kind to me, and helped me, a lot. I'd not be where I am right now if you-"

"BAKA. That's how they say it, in Japan, right? Go be with your lover!"

"But you've come all this way… as have I- besides, Hiro-san and I are not… getting along too well, right now. Some time apart will be good for us, both."

"AHA! I finally got a name." The man smirked. "'Hiro-san,' huh? What's it short for?"

"…Uh… Hiro-san is just Hiro-san to me."

"Haha. How Nowaki-like." The man patted him on the shoulder. "Well, you should pick up some good Canadian beer for Hiro-san, while you're here, there's this shop down the street, and their specialty-"

"Actually, Hiro-san can't have anything alcoholic right now."

"Why's that?" Carter blinked.

"Well, after the appendectomy and-"

"Appendectomy? YOUR LOVER IS RECOVERING FROM AN APPENDECTOMY **AND **YOU'RE ON A ROMANTIC GETAWAY AND YOU CARELESSLY ABAND-"

"Like I said, please don't concern yourself over my personal affairs… Hiro-san has been getting steadily better all week, and is recovering just fine. Additionally, we're not getting along well, so-"

Come with me." Carter sighed, turning and heading off.

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked, following the older man.

-..- . -..-

"There." The man held out a bouquet of roses. "Just like the ones you brought to the hospital that day. These beauties should do the trick."

"For me?" Nowaki arched a brow, confused, taking the roses from the man.

Carter's brow twitched. "They're for your lover!"

"AH…" Nowaki blinked. "Ah-but-!!"

"Look, when it comes to girls, it doesn't matter what the argument was about. Say you're sorry, give her flowers, and you'll be back to love-love mode in no-time. Happy Birthday, Nowaki. Give me a call after you get back to Japan, so I know you returned home, safely."

"…Yes, sir." Nowaki sighed.

-..- . -..- **TBC **-..- . -..-

Yes, ass muscles… I didn't want to just say 'ass' because that would imply something different than what I was trying to give you a feel for. Nor did I want to use 'glutes' because that just plain makes me feel guilty because I haven't worked out in like a month. XD

Suzuki nailed Misaki in the face. SuzukixMisaki 4 ever. [/crack]

This is a reference to volume 6 when Miyagi asks Hiroki to explain what's got his panties in a bunch and Hiroki decides to tell him about 'his friend's problems… obviously Hiroki is talking about himself but instead, they discuss his 'friend,' so as to help him save face, I suppose.


	15. Partaaay

**AN:** This has been sooo long… (05-09-09)… I've worked on this chapter off and on for a while, like the others, but lately I feel more motivated to write… maybe because I'm forced to hang out at work with my laptop and not much to do… but what's discouraging is my damn K key… or lack thereof… I wonder if I give Misaki, Kamijou, and Nowaki less fic-time because their names contain the letter K… Maybe this is why I've been writing so much Terrorist, lately? XD

**AN Edit: **Wow, it's been over a month since I even wrote that note XD Now is 06-14-09 oh and I got a new laptop ^.^;;

**Chapter 15 Summary: **The three couples get together to celebrate Nowaki's birthday, (inspired by the art picture where they're all hangin' out XD)…

**EDIT: **Oops, by the way, the part I wrote about someone getting officially proposed to, actually occurs next chapter… MY BAD! XD

-..- . -..- This separates time differences or shows what's happening elsewhere.

=.=.=.= These encase flashbacks.

_Italic font is used primarily in this chapter for when characters are speaking in ENGLISH._

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 15: Partaaay**

-..- . -..-

"WHAT ALL DID YOU GUYS BUY?!!" Misaki gawked at the contents of the bags that Shinobu and Usami let down onto the floor.

"…Why would you buy a…?" Kamijou raised a bottle opener.

"Neither of us knew what it was, so we both decided to buy it." Shinobu stated, flatly.

"…It's a bottle opener… it opens soda bottles, or pickle jars… or other things with lids which are too tightly compressed onto their containers." Misaki huffed. "This is why rich people shouldn't be allowed to shop without proper supervision!"

"We need one, anyway." Miyagi stated, cheerfully, taking it from Kamijou and placing it on the counter.

"And this?" Misaki raised a box of empty CD cases.

"…Hmm… We can use them for work."

"And this?!" Kamijou raised a random vase.

"…We'll buy flowers. It'll make the place look nicer."

"And this?" Misaki raised a spare doorknob.

"…" Miyagi had no reply for that one.

"Why did you buy this one?" Misaki turned the doorknob to the two, annoyed.

"…" Shinobu and Usami glanced at one another before turning to Misaki, replying in unison: "In case something happens to a doorknob."

Misaki's face went deadpan as the knob was taken from him.

"Hmmm…" Miyagi's brow twitched.

"Well you guys sure got the place looking great." Usami complimented. "The balloons and decorations all give a very cheerful atmosphere."

"It's nice, isn't it?" Miyagi smiled. "I helped primarily with the decorations. In fact, most of the cooking has been Takahashi-kun."

"But I saved the cookies for you to prepare, Shinobu." Misaki told his friend, who brightened.

"Thanks… sorry we took so long… seems like we got some unnecessary things…" He frowned.

"Where's the cabbage?" Miyagi asked with a smirk, going through the bags in order to find an oven mitt.

"Uh… you don't put cabbage in a CAKE." Shinobu snapped.

"While the cake is baking… Will someone take me out? I want to get something." Kamijou stood, suddenly.

"Eh?" The others blinked at him.

"But Kamijou…" Miyagi blinked. "You really should just take it easy."

"Akihiko… will you take me?" Kamijou asked and Usami sighed.

"Alright."

"…" Misaki frowned. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Misaki." Usami's eyes narrowed and Kamijou huffed.

"It's fine if he comes, but… is it really alright to leave them here to take the cake out of the oven?" Kamijou asked.

"How long will this little adventure take?" Usami inquired. "Because if we hurry, we can be back in time to take it out, right, Misaki?"

"It shouldn't take long." Kamijou stated.

"Then let's go." Misaki sighed, putting the cake in the oven then pausing. "You two head out, I'll be right there."

"Okay." Kamijou raised his hand, physically declining Usami's offer to help him up out of his seat. "My leg's fine. Really."

Usami shrugged, following his friend out, watching him closely for a single limp.

"…" Misaki waited until they were both out of hearing range before turning, annoyed.

"Mmm…?" The terrorists blinked at him.

"…Don't have sex in here while we're gone." Misaki snapped, knowingly.

"Eh-!" Miyagi smiled, nervously, eye twitching as Shinobu flushed, averting his gaze.

"Why would we?! In a public place- especially not in our own-!!!"

"Because you did it last time when I was at your apartment."

"AH-!!" Shinobu flushed deeply, gawking at his friend.

"You two need to talk about your little jealousy issues, anyway, right? So please refrain from doing anything perverted!" That said, the teen turned, and hurried off.

"…" The two who had been left behind glanced at one another.

"…Let's do it on his bed."

"MIYAGI!!!" Shinobu flushed, furiously as Miyagi smirked.

-..- . -..-

"Really?" Usami huffed as Kamijou swiped his card. "This won't be problematic?"

"If so, I'll deal with it when I get there." Kamijou snapped, grabbing his merchandise and heading for the door. "It's not like I'm bringing a terrorist aboard the flight."

"We're bringing the Terrorist couple." Usami stated.

"…WHAT?" Kamijou arched a brow.

Usami raised his manuscript.

"YOU BROUGHT THAT WITH YOU INTO A PUBLIC PLACE?!" His childhood friend snapped at him, furiously.

"So what did you do?" Usami inquired as the two looked around for Misaki.

"What did _I_ do?" Kamijou repeated, confused.

"You and your lover are on bad terms… enough to where he left on his birthday after you went through the trouble of arranging this trip for him…"

"It's not his real birthday! Hell, even the typical day we celebrate his birthday on may not be his real birthday!" The brunette snapped, annoyed.

"Mm…?" Usami arched a brow. "…You're in such a bad mood… you definitely did something."

Kamijou frowned. This whole trip WAS supposed to be for Nowaki… for his birthday, and for an opportunity for the two of them to take a step forward in their relationship, if they so desired… and what had he done? He got ticked off at Nowaki for keeping some stupid secret from him, probably because the taller man didn't think Kamijou would take his feelings into consideration upon hearing the secret fantasy…

Then to do what he did… and to bark at Nowaki on what should have been his special day, and even to drive him away… He felt like the worst person in the world…

Seeing that his childhood friend's entire existence was suddenly drooping, Usami sighed, twining his cold fingers into the brown mop of hair atop his friend's head, gently.

"Hiroki… there's not much you can do about it, now. When he gets back and sees the party, he'll probably be happy and cheerful… then, tonight, apologize to him and just ask him to be honest with you. Tell him you'll listen to his problems earnestly. Promise him. Then everything will be-"

Kamijou shoved Usami's arm away, annoyed. "This isn't one of your trite little love novels, Akihiko! You don't-!!!"

"Sorry, I went to go find… is something the matter?" Misaki appeared and shrank back just as quickly, glancing nervously at his literature professor.

"It's nothing!" Kamijou snapped, turning and heading out.

"Hiroki, let me carry it for you-"

"I'm fine!"

Misaki glanced up at Usami with a sad frown.

"Don't worry about him. He's mad because he was an idiot, and is sort of stuck in an endless loop. The angrier he gets, the worse he makes things, then he gets angry for doing it, which, in-turn-"

"GET IN THE CAR!" Kamijou's head whipped around and he glowered daggers at his so-called friend.

"Yeah, yeah." Usami huffed. "Don't scuff it up, it's a rental."

"Whatever, you can afford it!"

"Quit with the bad attitude, Hiroki." Usami huffed, taking the item from Kamijou so the man could carefully get into the passenger's seat. He then held his arms out for it and Usami handed it back before rounding the car. "Sorry, Misaki, guess you have to sit in the back."

"That's alright." Misaki climbed into the back from behind Usami's seat, then the older man put the seat back into place and sat down inside. Closing the door, the three headed back.

-..- . -..-

"Miyagi?" Shinobu turned to his lover as he washed his hands. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Miyagi inquired, still setting up a bit.

"…About this morning… what happened to you? I mean… I couldn't find you anywhere, then it seemed like you'd seen Kusama-san…"

"Well, if you must know…:"

=.=.=.=

=[An hour prior to Shinobu and Misaki's trip to the store]=

=.=.=.=

Closing the door behind himself, Miyagi blinked when Nowaki stormed past him, not even noticing him.

"Hey there, tall, dark, and mad-looking…" Miyagi called.

Nowaki paused, glancing at him and blinking; caught off guard. "Pardon me; I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Kamijou okay?"

"…" Nowaki averted his gaze. "He's fine… I need to get going…"

"Aaah… you two had a fight at a time like this? Isn't it supposed to be a romantic get-away?" Miyagi blinked, placing his hands on his hips.

"… I… It's… I got a call from work…" Nowaki mumbled. He wasn't quite sure why he was even giving this guy the time of day, but he had been raised to be a polite and civil Japanese man…

"…So… you're flying back to Japan?" Miyagi asked, stupidly.

"No no no!" Nowaki shook his head, annoyed. "Someone I knew from America that year I spent studying- ah, not that you really have any idea what I'm referring to… do you?"

"I know every detail. You ditched Kamijou for America without ever telling him." Miyagi smirked, boyishly.

"AH-!" Nowaki's jaw dropped. Was that how Hiroki remembered it?! How horrible.

"He's very loose-lipped when drunk."Miyagi explained, folding his arms and leaning against the wall with a sigh.

"…S-so I've heard…" Nowaki's brow twitched. "Anyway, I have to meet with one of the men who helped me out. Excuse me." He turned, heading off.

"Blaming it on work… So sad… Well, these things often happen between husbands and wives…" Miyagi sighed, shrugging. "Glad I'm not married, anymore- that life is-"

"You were married?!" Nowaki looked up, instantly, turning.

"Eh? Ah… yeah… for a while…"

"…To a woman?" Nowaki blinked, interested.

"…No, to a newt." Miyagi rolled his eyes.

"Ah-!" Nowaki glanced around to make sure Hiroki wasn't around to hear his next inquiry: "So… then… you… you were really straight?"

"Yeah… I'm _still_ straight."

"…Hah? Err… so… then… you must have wanted to have children, someday, right? Or at least figured you would?"

"…???" Miyagi blinked, eyes narrowing. "…Well… I mean… don't most guys kind of figure that eventually, that's what… I mean… ah… not that it's bad not to…"

"…Oh… so you don't want children?" Nowaki frowned. How could he expect anyone to understand how he felt about the matter? Even his sempai worked in the pediatrics division and didn't seem to want to get tied down or have kids… perhaps he himself was the abnormal one…

"EH?!" Miyagi gawked, nervously, waving his hands about, spastically. "It's not that I don't WANT children…" He paused as Mikey ran past him, suddenly, tantrumming about not having a balloon or something- from what his English aided him in understanding. The boy's father raced after him, shouting orders to 'be quiet,' and 'stop making a scene,' and what-not. "…But like I said, sometimes it's fine not to have them, too…"

"…" Nowaki sighed. His shoulders dropped and he looked positively miserable.

"…But you want to be a pediatric doctor for children, right?" Miyagi placed a fist on his hip, knowingly. "Let me guess… YOU pissed off Kamijou by saying some stuff he thinks is impossible."

"…" Nowaki shook his head. "No… worse… I didn't tell him how much I want to have children with him… because he'll just…"

"Haa…" Miyagi nodded, understanding. "I see… mmm… knowing Kamijou, he'd probably shout a bunch of profanities and complain that something like that's not possible… which is why you didn't tell him, since, to you, you're really serious about it, aren't you?"

Nowaki nodded, frowning. "He's right, though… it is impossible… but…"

"I'm gonna sound like an old geezer for saying this… but twenty years ago, there were no cell-phones- not that I remember… at least not in the hands of pretty much everyone you met on the street… what I'm trying to say is… you don't know what's going to change in a span of time; it can be one year; two years; ten years; twenty years… Here in Canada, you can adopt children… Japan's one of the most technologically advanced societies in the world, but… sometimes I think our traditions and laws are a little outdated." He chuckled. "I sound so unpatriotic…"

"…You think it might become possible… in the future…?" Nowaki asked.

"And even if it doesn't happen in Japan, if you know English and are knowledgeable in your field, then you can just come to Canada and get hitched, have kids, you know, the works."

Nowaki flushed with embarrassment. "Th-that's impossible for Hiro-san!!!"

"Have you asked him?"

"NO! I value my life!"

"Then shut up."

"Eh?!"

"And if you REALLY valued your life, you wouldn't be abandoning Kamijou for work- you're pretty much asking for celibacy."

"That part is already…" Nowaki sighed, frustrated.

"Ah…" Miyagi smirked.

"ANYWAY, I'LL BE LEAVING, NOW, BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING MORE. Please don't say anything to Hiro-san! You're loose-lipped _without_ being drunk."

"Not to say anything about your personal hopes and dreams? They have nothing to do with me… but really, to just abandon your lover like this? A-"

"It's got nothing to do with you!" Nowaki snapped.

"After all the trouble he went through to get you here… I'm going to be dealing with quite the pissy Kamijou at work…" Miyagi argued.

Nowaki sighed, annoyed. "…So? What do you think I should do?"

"NOT go- but I get the feeling it's too late for that… and then, when you come back, talk to Kamijou about how you really feel. There's no way you can just live your life with another person without communicating your wants and needs. And if your lover can't fulfill your needs, your relationship's going to run into some real trouble- just make sure you're honest… you and Kamijou… what you have is the real thing- it's obvious to anyone. So just make sure you're honest- even if Kamijou thinks it's silly or embarrassing, he's the type who'd rather know what's what than be left in the dark."

"…Yeah…" Nowaki sighed. For a bumbling idiot, this man had a lot of depth to his character… or maybe his advice was based on experience… either way, he had some hidden wisdom to him, deep down. "…Sorry to…bother-"

"It's fine… I'm heading out, too, let's walk, together." Miyagi suggested, gesturing to the direction Nowaki had originally been headed.

"…" Nowaki sighed. "…Um… it's sort of late, but… sorry… about… the whole hitting you in the throat thing…"

Miyagi smirked. "That's alright… I was mostly surprised…"

"…But your reasoning, at the time is still beyond me…" Nowaki stated, inquisitively.

Miyagi laughed, softly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I'd explain it all, but you're running late, right?"

"Hff." Nowaki huffed through his nose, annoyed. "Yeah… I'll catch a cab."

"You're making a biiig mistaaaake. Even though I get the feeling Kamijou was being selfish on your birthday, this is definitely a bad move on your part."

"…He should have thought about it before he did what he did." Nowaki huffed, heading off.

"…Take care." Miyagi waved, half-heartedly.

=.=.=.=

Shinobu frowned. "…I see… Kusama-san and Kamijou-san… I had hoped they'd be able to have a wonderful weekend getaway… but… it seems like they're just mad at each other…"

"…Well." Miyagi shrugged. "Things like this happen."

Shinobu sighed. "I just hope they work things out…"

"Aww, they will, don't worry!" Miyagi smiled. "What'd you and Takahashi talk about when you went to get the baking goods?"

"…Cooking."

"Speaking of… the cookies?"

"…Mm? AAAH!!!"

-..- . -..-

Nowaki sighed, dejectedly as he made his way toward the suite he shared with Hiroki. Taking his shoes off at the door, (a force of habit), he knocked before sliding his key into the slot and giving it a twist. He pushed the door open and frowned when he saw that the hotel room was empty. He headed into the kitchen area, which was also empty. Sighing, he reached into his pocket for his phone.

He pulled it out and dialed Hiroki's number.

After two rings, Hiroki picked up.

"_Thesu esu Kamijou!_" The man's words were a tad slurred as he continued pretending as though he couldn't speak English well. "_Herroooo._"

"…Are you drunk, Hiro-san?" Nowaki frowned.

"A little bit. Where are you? I'm waiting…"

"I'm in our suite. Where are you?"

"I'm in the next suite over, come on by."

"You're with Professor Miyagi?" Nowaki grit his teeth. That asshole had known he'd be gone all day… what if he took advantage?

"Yeah, (hic), with Miyagi-kyoo…(hic)uju… and… Akihi-(hic)-ko, and Takahashi-kun and (Hic)-atsuki-ku-(hic)-mm…."

"…I'm coming over." Nowaki sighed, opening the door and heading out, the bouquet still in his hand. He didn't want to waste a second in case Hiroki had removed his own clothing in his drunken stupor- a bad habit he'd been made aware of time and time again, when drinking with the man. (Well, it was a good habit when it was just the two of them, but not so much when the man was drinking with other men).

He knocked on the door to Miyagi's suite before letting himself in, without hesitation. The lights were off- BAD SIGN. He hurriedly flicked them on before blinking when a loud 'SURPRISE!' filled the room.

"Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday!"

"_Happy New Year!_"

"…Idiot. Happy Birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Nowaki." Hiroki threw some confetti over Nowaki's head and the taller man shut his eyes, smiling.

"Oh… thank you all, very much… but you didn't have to go through all this trouble- I hope I didn't make you wait, too terribly long…"

"We actually aren't quite done, yet." Usami informed the taller man, gesturing to the half-finished 'Happy Birthday, Nowaki!' sign that hung over the couch.

"We made a cake, and got presents. Please don't be modest, and have a lot of fun." Misaki smiled.

"You're all too kind." Nowaki blushed, slightly, embarrassed. "Thank you for all your hard work…" He sniffed. "…Is… something… burni-"

"GYAAA-!!!" Shinobu pivoted, hurrying toward the kitchen area to retrieve his neglected cookies.

Kamijou flopped down next to Suzuki-san on the couch, wrapping his arms lazily about him. "Nowaki, you're softer than usual, today, aren't you?"

"Ah… Hiro-san…" Nowaki stared, nervously before blinking as Misaki approached him from the side.

"Kusama-san, do you like the cake we made?" The young brunette inquired as he batted away at something in a bowl.

"Ah…" Nowaki glanced at the cake on the table. It was enormous and elaborate- it looked a bit like an old shrine. "Yes, I'm very impressed- did you make it, yourself, Takahashi-kun?"

"I did." Misaki smiled, happily. "As we mentioned, you came back a bit earlier than expected, so I didn't get a chance to put the strawberries and cream on the cake, but as you can see, the cream is almost done… Oh, those are lovely roses, Kusama-san… Ah-! Takatsuki-kun and Usagi-san both bought a vase that would be perfect for them, it's on the table."

Miyagi sat down near Usami and beside a smaller Suzuki-san, a glass of wine settled in his hand as he glanced over at Shinobu, who backed into the area with his cookie-abominations.

"They didn't turn out right!" Shinobu whined.

"Shinobu, throw them out…" Miyagi exclaimed. "Before they stink up the whole suite!"

"Suzuki-saaan… come stay at my place, toniiiight…" Kamijou cooed. Usami eyed him, annoyed, taking notes to use for his novels. He was contemplating having the couples in the three respective Junai Series' meet up. (1).

Shinobu frowned, defeatedly, heading out to throw the cookies away.

Miyagi watched and sighed, handing his alcohol to a more than welcoming Kamijou before he headed out after his dejected lover.

Misaki finished putting the strawberries and whipped cream onto the cake before turning to Usami. "Where did you put the candles?"

"…" Usami stared at him, blankly. "…Ah…"

"You bought a DOORKNOB, but you didn't buy CANDLES?!" Misaki fumed.

"…" Usami held out a cigarette and Misaki fumed, smacking it out of his lover's hand.

"Hiro-san, stop making out with the bear-san!" Nowaki scolded, plopping down next to Kamijou and pulling him into his embrace, annoyed.

"Nowakii…" Kamijou mumbled, frowning at him. "…I ruined your birthday…"

"No, Hiro-san… being here with you is the best birthday present… I ruined it, myself, by leaving, selfishly."

"Nowaki… I'm cold…"

"Not here, Hiro-san." Nowaki whispered, flushing.

"I'm… cold…?" Usami arched a brow, scribbling something into his journal and gawking when it was kicked out of his hands.

It flew across the room and Misaki blinked when it landed in his now empty whipped cream bowl. Blinking, the teen picked up the notebook and read over the first page he opened to:

"…_Nowaki pressed Hiroki to the floor and rava_-?!!" His eyes bulged and he flushed quite deeply as Nowaki gawked.

"Then what?" Kamijou asked, yawning.

"USAGI-SAN!!! THIS IS LIBEL~!"

And?" The selfish man arched a brow.

"These are our friends!!!"

Nowaki took the novel, curiously, reading it over. "…Wh-where… did you get… aaah…" His cheeks reddened in color, slightly. "…Hi-Hiro-san doing these types of things is really… is this… a sequel to something?"

"There's a serie-"

"USAGI-SAAAAAN!"

-..- . -..-

"Shiii~nooo~buuuu~chiiiin!!!" Miyagi wrapped his arms around Shinobu from behind as the teen banged the cookie tray against the metal side of the trash dumpster in the parking lot. His intent was to diffuse the cookies from the tray.

"What?" Shinobu snapped, annoyed.

"Pooooor Shinobu-chin… your cookies were ruined, to no fault of your ow-"

"Don't make excuses for me, please." Shinobu muttered as Miyagi slid his hands up Shinobu's shirt and Shinobu blushed, lightly. "…What're you doing? We're… outside…"

"Outside, a decillion miles away from anyone who could pose a threat to our relationship with your family or our social standing…" Miyagi nipped at Shinobu's ear and Shinobu flushed, lightly, averting his gaze.

"…Miyagi…"

"This is why you came, right? So we could be somewhere where we don't have to hold back?" Miyagi smiled against his lover's ear, knowingly.

"…Miyagi…" Shinobu turned in his hold and hugged him, tight. "…You always do this…"

"Do what…?" Miyagi wrapped his arms around his lover, blinking.

"…You don't seem like you're watching, or thinking of me… but you always are…"

"Well… I have to return the favor every now and then, I guess." Miyagi raised Shinobu's face and kissed him, gently.

"…Miyagi…"

"Let's go back, before we get carried away." Miyagi suggested, warningly, though his eyes and smirk indicated he wouldn't mind 'getting carried away' in the least.

"…We really shoulda done it on Misaki's bed…"

"Shinobuuu." Miyagi smirked.

-..- . -..-

"Thanks for the gifts and all the attention…" Nowaki bowed before heading out, Hiroki draped over his shoulders.

"Thanks for the doorknooob…" The slightly unconscious Hiroki raised his prize before getting dragged out.

"Have a good night- happy birthday, Kusama-san!" Misaki waved with a smile, turning to Shinobu. "Goodnight, Shinobu! Enjoy the remainder of the romantic getaway."

"You too, Misaki." Shinobu smiled.

Misaki turned to look up at Usami before blinking. The older man was watching the Egoist couple head into their respective suite.

"…Something wrong, Usagi-san?" Misaki inquired.

"…Nothing…" Usami glanced down at Misaki. "This weekend getaway isn't about him, anyway. It's about us. Come on. We've wasted enough time not having sex." He dragged Misaki off to their suite by the waist.

"Usagi-san! You basta…" Misaki trailed off, both men staring suspiciously at their slightly opened door. "…Usagi-san… who was the last one in our apartment?"

"…You were- you went to get my glasses for me…"

"Yeah… but I know I closed the door…" Misaki stated, nervously.

"…" Usami nudged the door open with his foot, flicking on the light and looking around, annoyed. Everything seemed to be in place. "…You must have forgotten… scatterbra-"

"I didn't forget… I know I closed it…" Misaki frowned. "Check under the bed, in the closet, in the shower, and in the oven!"

"Who do you thi- the oven?" Usami huffed, heading into the bathroom and drawing the curtain open. He blinked when the bathroom door slammed closed and locked, behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, annoyed. "Misaki? If you're just trying to avoid sex-" He reached for the door and blinked. There was no doorknob. "…Very funny." He knelt down and gawked at what he saw. Misaki was very nervously backing away from someone…

"MISAKI!" He banged his fist against the door.

-..- . -..-

"Hiro-san," Nowaki sighed as he laid the man in bed.

"I won it…" Hiroki raised his doorknob, proudly and Nowaki took it, annoyed, setting it on the night stand. "Nowa-"

"Hiro-san, about earlier, is this why you got drunk?"

"I'm not drunk, I took a drug cocktail…"

Nowaki's eyes widened. "What?! Hiro-san! You're only supposed to take certain drugs that I tell you to!"

"You weren't there… I thought I remembered you giving me two red, one blue, three yellow, and one white…"

"No, Hiro-san! I don't even know where you got half those colors from!" Nowaki scolded. "What drugs did you-"

"These?" Hiroki raised his fist, opening his hand. Nowaki stared at his hand, both relieved as well as a tad pissed off. Hiroki was holding candy.

"…So did you take your medicine, or not, Hiro-san?!"

"Yeah… one white, three yellow… and then… I had to eat it on a full stomach, so." Hiroki gestured, again, with the colorful chocolates in his hand, knocking some onto the floor. "…And of course, I couldn't eat them alone, so I used some of Professor's wine to down them- but I'm not drunk!"

"…" Nowaki sighed. "You took one too many of the yellow pill and the white wasn't supposed to come until later." The man scolded. "…Not to mention the alcohol which quadruples the effects of the drug, as Takatsuki-kun has noted. You need to be more careful when it comes to-" Nowaki was cut off when Hiroki wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed an awkward, sloppy kiss to the younger man's mouth.

"…Nowakiiii… about this morning… I did it… it was my fault… and I'm sorry…"

"…" Nowaki sighed, annoyed, lying down beside his lover. "…Hiro-san… I'm partly to blame, too, but let's discuss it later, when you're less inebriated."

"…Nowaki… I got you a present… It's not much… but it's a step forward… in our relationship… or whatever…" Hiroki told his lover, pointing to the corner.

Blinking, Nowaki glanced at what the smaller man was pointing at. It looked to be a square-ish object with a blanket draped over it. And it was making some kind of quiet, scratchy noise.

How he hadn't noticed it up to this point was beyond the tall man as he stood, nervously eying the box. "Hiro-san… what is it?"

"Step forward in our-"

Nowaki headed over to it, nervously, removing the blanket before blinking. His face lit up and he knelt down. "Oh, Hiro-san! It's so cute! It's for me?!"

"It's for US. We'll have to take turns taking care of it, or it'll probably die." Hiroki mumbled, getting slowly to his feet. He turned, heading over to join his lover. "Mmm… but there're no pets, here, so just keep it in the cage, for now."

"…Umm… I don't know if we'll be able to just take a pet rabbit by plane, Hiro-san… I'll have to read up on it, a bit, before we leave." Nowaki stated, poking a finger into the cage. The animal's nose twitched as it leaned forward to see if Nowaki had any food to offer it.

"It seemed friendlier than most… and if we ever forget to buy dinner, we can just cook the rab-"

"HIRO-SAN!" Nowaki scolded as the other man yawned.

"Anyway… if you really think that I'll smash your dreams into billions of pieces or not listen to you properly, then why not at least tell me now that I'm wasted… not like I'll remember, when I sober up, anyway." Hiroki drunkenly pointed out, wrapping his arms around Nowaki's waist from behind. "…And everyone says I'm more honest when I'm drunk, anyway…"

"…True…" Nowaki frowned. "…Though I've decided I'll go ahead and wait until you're back to normal. It's the type of thing… I want to go ahead and tell you face to face… I know you'll listen earnestly, if I just ask… I like to think you will, anyway."

"Yeah, I will…" Hiroki promised, nuzzling Nowaki's neck in his drunken stupor. "…But it's not like I'll remember, anyway, so why not just tell me, now, too? I want to know… I want you to tell me. Before you get cold feet again…"

Nowaki laughed, softly, heading over to the bed with his lover and lying back down beside him. "…Alright, Hiro-san… the truth is… you already know how much I love children…"

Hiroki nodded.

"And I know that you don't particularly care for them… but the truth is… My deepest, darkest secret is that I would absolutely love raising children with you…"

"…That's it?"

"Eh?" Nowaki blinked.

"That's the stupid secret you wouldn't tell me?!" Hiroki snapped.

"…Ah… Hiro-san… you look… unsurprisingly… not… drunk… or drugged up…"

"I can't believe I had to act like a jackass just to get you to admit THAT! I already knew THAT!" Hiroki snapped, turning over onto his back, annoyed, as Nowaki's jaw dropped. He was at a furious loss for words.

"I guess I am being insensitive, which is what you were concerned about… but seriously…? Did you really think I could love you as much as I do, and not know that?" Hiroki glanced at him and Nowaki fell silent.

"It's not like I'm absolutely opposed to it. It's our country that is… but hell… keep working hard toward your goal, I'll continue working hard to become a professor, and within ten years or so, maybe we can come back here, or go somewhere else that's more open-minded about these things… hell, by the time we're both great successes, the only time I'd actually consider having kids to begin with, Japan may stop frowning on such a thing, anyway! In any case, don't just brush it off or try to keep it a secret from me because you think I'll think badly of you or chicken out like a damn wimp…!!!"

"…Hiro-san…"

"Because I love you, so no matter what it is, even if it really is a stupid or idiotic idea… I'll always support you!"

"Hiro-san…"

"…Next time you feel like keeping some deep dark secret, try to remember that." Hiroki snapped, turning over. "…We love each other too much and have been through too much to toss all that away just because we're scared of what the other guy might think… got it?"

"…" Nowaki wrapped his arms around Hiroki, snuggling into his back. "…Yes, Hiro-san…"

"…Happy birthday… tomorrow, we'll do anything you like, at all."

"Then we'll start with a bath."

"Fine."

"...And if you ever PRETEND to be drunk or drugged up, again, I'll tell everyone you were faking!"

"That they bought it means I really must act like an idiot when drunk…" Kamijou blushed.

"You didn't know?"

"I heard it from too many different people not to believe it."

"Mm… tomorrow… let's also have a lot of se-"

"That one goes without saying!"

-..- . -..-

"…Miyagi…?" Shinobu rubbed at his eye, tiredly, sitting up.

"Ah… I got it." Miyagi was standing in front of the window, a smoke lit up, from what Shinobu could see. Their room was dark, and while the blinds for the window were drawn open, it was quite dark outside, as well. "Thank you, too… take care, now." Miyagi hung up and turned, taking a long drag off of his cigarette before letting out a long, smoky sigh.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Shinobu mumbled, sitting up in bed. He hugged his covers tighter around himself to hide his nakedness.

"…" Miyagi smiled to him. "Just another professor from the university, don't worry. I'm sorry to have woken you."

"I'm fine… the jet lag is starting to take a toll, though…" Shinobu admitted, tiredly.

"Let's sleep, then… I have to leave tomorrow afternoon, so… let's have as much fun as possible before then."

"…Yeah." Shinobu smiled.

-..- . -..-

"Misaki!" Usami pounded on the door once with his fist as he glowered through the doorknob hole, struggling to see who was confronting Misaki.

"Ah… um…" Misaki swallowed, nervously. "What're you doing all the way over here in Canada…?" Misaki asked, glancing at the bathroom door, nervously, then up at their visitor.

Suddenly his arm was grabbed and he was pulled out the door.

"MISAKI!" Usami grabbed his cell out of his pocket and called Hiroki. When the phone went straight to voicemail he texted him:

-Come bring that stupid doorknob into my suite! I'm stuck without a doorknob and someone just ran off with Misaki-

-..- . -..-

Hiroki moaned softly as Nowaki bucked his hips, thrusting deeper and deeper into his lover.

Ignoring his cell phone which had gone off, he wrapped his legs tighter around the tall man and arched his back, groaning in pleasure when the slightly new angle increased the friction between the two.

Another noise sounded from his cell, indicating he had a text.

"Hi-Hiro-san…" Nowaki grunted, softly.

"Don't worry about it." Hiroki muttered, "The rest of this weekend is for us, only…" He pushed gently at Nowaki's chest and shifted; sliding his leg over his lover's shoulder and turning to his side, slightly. Nowaki began bucking faster, supporting the new position by gently caressing Hiroki's lower thigh.

"Aaah…" Balling his hands into fists at his chest, Hiroki lowered his head to the side, panting and contracting his muscles as he felt the girth of his lover's cock ram his insides.

Nowaki's hand fell to Hiroki's weeping cock and he teased it and toyed with it carelessly as he worked himself closer to his own orgasm.

Hiroki, who was more than aroused simply from having his prostate repeatedly rammed by his lover's amazing dick, was thrown into a new level of pleasure and he grit his teeth, shutting his eyes as he came into his lover's hand.

Nowaki moaned his lover's name, softly as he came inside, then collapsed beside his lover, helping guide his leg gently down since it had been his injured one.

Both men panted and Nowaki reached for Hiroki's cell, but Hiroki caught his wrist, pulling Nowaki on top of him.

"Don't worry about it, idiot." He whispered as it went off, again. "This night is just for the two of us…"

Nowaki sighed, caressing his lover's face and kissing him, gently. Once Hiroki's lashes fluttered shut, Nowaki snuck his hand up, grasping the cell and flipping it open.

Hiroki broke the kiss with a smacking sound as he glared at his lover's hand. "I just told you-"

"It's alright, Hiro-san, we're about to go to bed, anyway." Nowaki smiled that I-can-get-away-with-anything smile and glancing at the contents of the text messages. "They're from Usami-san… he says to bring him the doorknob…" He sat up, nervously. "…Takahashi-kun is in trouble!"

"Well, yeah, but I think if he studies hard enough…" Hiroki, only half listening, turned over, tiredly.

"I'll just be right back, Hiro-san." Nowaki kissed his lover's forehead while leaning over to grab his pants off the night stand where they'd been carelessly tossed.

Hiroki grabbed his arms and glowered sleepily up at his lover.

"Where you going?"

"To Usami-san's suite for just a moment- he's trapped."

"Trapped?" Hiroki's drug-induced haze cleared up a bit. "What do you mean, trapped?"

"Just stay, I'll be back in a moment." Nowaki got up and pulled his pants on, grabbing the doorknob off of the night stand.

Hiroki sat up, tiredly, clutching at his head from having sat up too fast and right after having over exerted himself…

-..- . -..-

"Usami-san?!" Nowaki opened the door to Usami's suite. Since it had evidently been left open, it had been easy to enter.

The door to the bathroom suddenly slammed open, breaking off of its hinges as Usami came stumbling out.

"…I brought the doorknob…" Nowaki blinked, helping Usami up. Ignoring him, Usami raced past and out the door, looking around.

"Did you see anyone when you came by?" Usami asked, quickly.

Nowaki thought about it. "No… I'll go left, you go right."

Without uttering a word, Usami darted to the right. Nowaki hurried off into the other direction.

"Nowaki?" Hiroki opened their door and blinked as Nowaki ran past. "Where are you going…?"

"Stay there, Hiro-san, I'll be back as soon as I- just go to bed!"

"…What?" Hiroki followed him, annoyed, struggling to put his shoes on and hurrying after Nowaki with his.

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Thus ends this chapter- is a short chapter, I apologize… Misaki's disappearance is less dramatic than it seems, I assure you. Oh, and the doorknob will be of use in the next chapter, haha. It started out as just a random thing that Shinobu and Usami bought for the crap of it and it somehow became somewhat of an important plot device XD I am in such a cracky mood, lately _ The fic is nearing its end… so sad… T^T 2 more chapters, tops, I think.

(1) This whole scenario is based on the picture from the art book where all three couples appear to be enjoying a party of some sort. I may have overdone it, ha ha.

**EDIT: **Fixed a couple of trivial errors- they bug me, still- if anyone ever sees any- please don't refrain from informing me, thanks!


	16. Proposal and the Mile High Club

**AN: **Been a while. Sorry for the delay. Have had my hands veeeery full.

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 16: Proposal and the Mile High Club**

-..- . -..-

"Where could he have gone?" Usami growled as he darted around another corner, running down another corridor. He stopped, abruptly when he nearly ran into Hiroki.

"Hey!" Hiroki glowered. "Nowaki ran off to look for you, what's going on?"

"You look decidedly NOT drunk, but we'll discuss it later." Usami snapped. "Right after Misaki and I arrived in our suite, I got locked in my bathroom and someone grabbed Misaki and ran off!"

"…Who in the hell would want him, and what the hell for?"

"My father, my brother, my cousins… I'm also trying to figure that out." Usami snapped.

"Did you find him?" Nowaki approached the others, quickly.

"No." The two replied.

"Hiro-san, I told you to stay in the hotel!"

"Oooh, so just because you tell me to do something, I should listen?"

"…Did you run on your leg?"

"…No."

"Let's head back to the hotel, maybe they left a note." Usami sighed, interrupting the bickering lovers. As entertaining as an irritated Nowaki promised to be, he had more important things to concern himself with.

"You didn't think to look for a note?" Hiroki snapped at his childhood friend, admonishingly.

"A note will stay there! I may have had a chance at catching up to them!"

"They probably have a hotel room and they went straight to it." Hiroki scolded. "Duh."

"…" Usami glowered at his friend, but could think of nothing to use to argue in his defense. He turned and hurried back toward his room.

"Should we contact the others?" Nowaki inquired.

"Nah, we should let them sleep." Hiroki muttered.

"Let us sleep?"

"Gyaa-!" Nowaki and Hiroki froze before glancing over their shoulders at a very peeved Shinobu- sporting only a sweatshirt that barely came down to his mid-thighs.

Usami paid no one any mind as he continued into his suite.

"So, suddenly we're not in on this together?" Shinobu approached the two, angrily.

"Ah… well, it's somewhat of an emergency… and we're all supposed to have this holiday to ourselves, so…" Nowaki trailed off.

"Besides, if you ask the professor, he'll probably want to sleep, right?" Hiroki huffed.

"I don't care WHAT he wants! Friends help their friends! Speaking of, who was that guy who was with Misaki, earlier?"

Usami froze, hand on the doorknob. He turned quickly, eyes wide.

"What did you say?" He grabbed Shinobu's shoulders, suddenly, having seemingly teleported from the door to the gawking teen.

"Hah? Well, earlier, there was this… guy with him… I noticed right before we settled in… Why? What's going on?"

"What did he look like?"

"Dark hair… Japanese, like us… wearing a suit…"

"Glasses?" Usami asked.

"I didn't notice…"

"Old or young?"

"Didn't notice- I saw him from behind… he had good posture…" Shinobu shrugged and Usami turned, hurrying into his suite.

"…Wha'ss going on?" Miyagi exited his suite, groggily wiping the sleep from his eyes. "GAH-! SHINOBU! PANTS! PANTS!"

"Eh?" Shinobu blinked, glancing downward and flushing, hiding behind Miyagi but peering out from behind him, glowering at the others. "We'll be out in a minute!"

"…Fine." Hiroki huffed, folding his arms as Nowaki followed Usami into the suite.

"Note, note, note…" Usami looked all over, including the ceiling.

Nowaki entered the bathroom and blinked. "Usami-san… weren't you trapped in the bathroom?"

"Yeah." Usami muttered, tossing the pillows off of the bed.

"I found the note."

Usami hurried into the bathroom. "Whe-? Oh…" He saw the note on the mirror in a smudgy red.

"Blood?" Nowaki blinked, nervously.

Usami's brow twitched. "I know who has him…" He turned, hurrying off.

Shinobu, Hiroki, and Miyagi all stumbled out of his way as he stormed past.

They all headed into the bathroom, save for Hiroki who followed his childhood friend like a duckling.

"If you want to see the kid, again, you'll finish the novel and meet us on the roof at midnight…" Shinobu read.

Miyagi reached out, smudging one of the kanji and sniffing his finger. "Lipstick…"

"You know what it smells like?" Nowaki eyed him.

"Yah. Straight, remember?"

"To the roof!" Shinobu turned, hurrying out.

-..- . -..-

"YOU BASTARDS!" Usami threw the door to the roof entrance open, furiously.

"Usagi-saaan…" Misaki whimpered, tied up and eye twitching. "See what happens when you don't submit your work on tiiiime?"

"'See what happens when you don't submit your work on tiiiime' INDEED!" Aikawa pointed, furiously. "Because of your carelessness, we had to come all the way from Japan just to get the damn manuscript!"

"Ironically, the manuscript isn't here, it's in Japan- as you'd have found out, had you read the e-mail I wrote you." Usami snapped.

"…You wrote no such e-mail!" Aikawa pointed at him, peeved.

"I did! … I just forgot to send it." Usami admitted, folding his arms, defensively.

"Great, so we came all the way out here for nothing." Isaka sighed, throwing his arms into the air.

"Yeah…" Aikawa sighed. "While we're here, might as well see the Northern Lights."

"That's Alaska… this is Canada." Isaka muttered.

"Oh yeah… the Niagara, then?" She blinked.

"Yeah… if he doesn't have it, we have no choice but to go back to our respective suites." Isaka sighed.

"Oooor, better yet… make him write it, again!" Aikawa suggested.

"I'm all for that."

"NO WAY!" Misaki snapped. "I'm not sitting out here all night while he finishes, besides, we're on vacation! We'll only be gone another day or so- he has it done! He just needs to turn it in, right? You've let him submit it a day or two late, before!"

"It's been three weeks!"

"USAGI-SAN! YOU LIED TO ME!"

"What in the hell is going on?" Hiroki grumbled. "Isaka-san, right?"

"Hmm-hmm." Isaka smirked, flashing the peace sign.

Hiroki's brow twitched. "And Aikawa-san…"

"That's me!" She sparkled.

"…Doesn't seem like _you _to ruin someone's romantic getaway- especially two gay lovers."

"Yes it does." Isaka argued.

"Not you. HER." He was pointing at Aikawa. "I definitely wouldn't put it past you."

"That's cold." Isaka smirked.

"You know each other?" Misaki blinked.

"Of course- he's Usami Haruhiko's childhood friend and he and she work with Akihiko."

"Kamijou Hiroki… you've also come out on this romantic weekend getaway…?" Isaka blinked, stroking his chin, thoughtfully.

"Yeah, with his lover of nearly seven years." Usami chimed.

Hiroki glowered at him. "Don't go around giving away personal information!"

"Relaaax, you're among friends- a fellow boys lover, and a boys love lover." Isaka teased, gesturing to Aikawa.

"Some friends."

"Still, I never pegged you for the stable relationship type…" Isaka admitted.

"He fell victim to Kusama Nowaki's assiduous pining."

"WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM OUR ADDRESS, NEXT?" Hiroki bellowed at his friend, who winked an eye closed and leaned away from the shouting man.

"Hiro-san! Usami-san! Ah-?" Nowaki arrived a tad late, blinking at the scene before him. "Takahashi-kun!"

"I'm alright, Kusama-san, don't worry about me." Misaki mumbled. "No one worry about me, just leave me all tied up."

"You scared the hell out of me, you know that?" Usami muttered as he made an attempt to pass his friends, but both stood in his way.

"MANUSCRIPT!"

"MANUSCRIPT!"

"…I TOLD you, it's back in Japan!"

"If you're telling us we took a twenty two hour flight-!"

"TWENTY TWO?" The others gawked.

"We got lost." Aikawa and Isaka shrugged.

"How in the hell did you get lost? We got a flight straight from Narita airport to-"

"HOW WE GOT LOST DOESN'T MATTER!" Isaka snapped. "More importantly, we are short one manuscript!"

"Look… I don't have anyone back in Japan who could possibly get it." Usami snapped. "I'd call Misaki, but he's here. I'd call Hiroki, but he's here. There's no one else I trust enough to give the key code to my apartment or the password to my computer to, so you're just going to have to wait."

"You have family." Aikawa huffed.

"Psht…" Hiroki rolled his eyes.

"…I know someone, but… he's the last person I'd give Usagi-san's information to." Misaki mumbled.

"Surely you're not referring to that sempai of yours." Usami made a face.

"Heh heh… I guess not."

"Definitely not… and Takahiro doesn't live in-"

"Definitely not niichan!" Misaki snapped, not wanting his doting older brother to witness the content of Usami's books- especially if Usami had also lied about that.

"Get a family member to do it." Nowaki suggested.

"No family members of mine are obtaining the key codes or passwords to ANYTHING of mine. The only ones I remotely trust don't live near my apartment."

"My sister can do it. She lives close." Shinobu offered.

"There're secret data files that she might see."

"She wouldn't snoop- it's not her style." Shinobu told him.

"Mmm…" Miyagi thought about it. "Come to think of it, I'd leave my cell phone with her all the time and she never once went through it, even when I wanted her to- she's a pretty decent person when it comes to privacy."

"...I don't want a stranger, either." Usami huffed. "It can wait two days."

"Wait…" Nowaki spoke up, suddenly. "…You just finished a manuscript?"

"Yeah." Usami replied.

"…But you always give them to Hiro-san to look over… don't you?"

"I did." Usami huffed. "Things were weird between us, so I gave it to you- that's the thing I handed you, before."

"…Um… I might have the copy, then… I didn't know what it was when you gave it to me, so I put it with Hiro-san's paperwork from school."

"…" Everyone gaped at him before Aikawa ran over to him, taking his hands into hers.

"SHOW US!"

-..- . -..-

Once everyone entered Hiroki and Nowaki's suite, they waited patiently for Nowaki to dig the manuscript out of a box which had been inside another box which had been buried beneath various clothes, in a suitcase.

He pulled it out, glancing over it, curiously. "Hope it's the real deal, or I'll feel horrible about raising your hopes, everyone… Ah- by Usami Akihiko- I think this is it."

"PERFECT!" Aikawa squealed with joy, reaching for it, but Hiroki snatched it.

"What're you talking about, red, this is MINE."

"WHAT?" She gaped at him. "But I have to turn it in, today!"

"Besides, we don't let Chibi-tan go until we have it." Isaka snapped, pulling Misaki behind him. (He was still tied up).

"Ugh…" Misaki sighed.

"Hiroki, give them the manuscript, you can read the one I have at home." Usami huffed.

"I want to read THIS one!"

"But this is your romantic weekend getaway with Kusama-kun!" Usami huffed, pointing.

"…What the hell is that?" Isaka suddenly pointed at the cage in the corner of the room.

"It's fine! I'll read it while he sleeps!" Hiroki huffed. "I want to be the first to read it! I always am!"

"But Misaki's life is at stake!" Usami argued

"That doesn't have any negative effect on me, what-so-ever!"

"_Seriously, _what the fuck is that?" Isaka pointed.

"It's just a rabbit." Hiroki snapped, annoyed.

"It's a bunny. We're still thinking of names." Nowaki replied. "I'm thinking of naming him after Usami-san or Miyagi-san, because of the mask he wears. Makes him look shifty."

"…That's not a rabbit." Isaka snapped.

"Yes it is." Hiroki huffed.

"…No. It's not." Shinobu knelt down beside it. "…This is a ferret."

"How in the hell do you confuse a ferret for a rabbit?" Miyagi asked.

Hiroki and Nowaki exchanged glances.

"Nowaki said it's a rabbit… so it must be a rabbit. Besides, the sticker on the cage says rabbit." Hiroki snapped. "Read it, yourself!"

"…Okay, so you… was this a loss in translation or something? You've gotta know that that thing is not a rabbit. Rabbits have long ears." Isaka raised his hands to his ears, pointing them up. "And they hop around!"

"He hops around."

"WHAT ABOUT THE **EARS **PART?"

"It's a rabbit!" Hiroki snapped. "READ THE SIGN!" He pointed.

"It's a rabbit CAGE." Shinobu snapped.

"Yeah, but that animal inside is a ferret." Misaki agreed.

"AUTOMATIC F!"

"Guah-!"

"It's not a rabbit, Hiroki." Usami snapped.

"It's a fucking rabbit! Don't argue with me! I bought it from the pet store! I asked the clerk for a rabbit, he showed me to the rabbits, and I bought this one because it was friendliest!"

"It's a ferret." Shinobu held out his cell phone, after checking on the internet.

Hiroki took his phone, reading over the article.

"I think they're right, Hiro-san… I don't think it's a rabbit, anymore…" Nowaki stated, kneeling down. "But it's still cute."

"You know you won't be able to take a ferret back to Japan- there're laws against it." Miyagi muttered.

"…No?" Nowaki looked absolutely devastated.

'Don't use that face on HIM.' Hiroki thought, annoyed. Even though he hated it when Nowaki used that look on him, he didn't want him using it on anyone else.

"Ah… well…" Miyagi trailed off nervously.

"It's fine." Isaka sighed. "We'll just take it back on my private plane... in exchange for the manuscript."

"…You flew?" Usami stared.

"No. Our pilot flew- then got lost."

"…You have a pilot?"

"Don't underestimate the executive director of Marukawa Publishing Company!" Isaka huffed, annoyed.

"So you're going to smuggle an animal into another country just because this guy gives you the googly eyes?" Miyagi asked, laughing.

"…They're pretty effective…" Aikawa muttered.

"And also for the _manuscript_." Isaka huffed.

"If we're giving the manuscript and Nowaki's sad face, then we should ask for more than just the plane ride." Hiroki huffed.

"Ask for Misaki." Misaki mumbled, annoyed.

"Ask for Misaki!" Usami echoed.

"Don't want him."

"Hiroki!"

"It's Hiro-san's manuscript and my sad face, so I should ask for something, Hiro-san…"

"You're asking for the bunny to be delivered via the personal plane."

"We've established that it's not a bunny, Hiro-san…"

"Well whatever it is!"

"Then what are you asking for, Hiro-san? If not for Takahashi-kun?"

"Three volumes of this book when it comes out- free."

"I can give them to you for free! Ask for Misaki!" Usami huffed.

"I don't want him!"

"I'm going back to sleep, now." Miyagi grumbled, heading out.

"Goodnight, Misaki- good luck getting rescued." Shinobu followed his exhausted lover out the door.

"What happened to all that friendship stuff?" Miyagi muttered to his lover, who huffed.

"You heard me…?"

"Untie me, already." Misaki snapped, then blinked when his ropes loosened.

"Gah-! Asahina! The negotiations haven't been completed, yet!" Isaka admonished, annoyed.

"This is really quite troublesome." Asahina snapped, tossing the ropes into a random corner of the room. "…Ryuuichirou-sama, let's get the manuscript and hurry back to Japan. We're impeding on everyone's good time."

"Like I give a rat's ass, besides-! Who's fault is it?" Isaka pointed squarely at Usami, who huffed, narrowing his eyes.

"I understand," The author took Misaki by the arm and headed out. "Moving forward, I'll be sure to turn in my works on time, a lot came up, this time."

"Kamijou-san's getting sick was an acceptable excuse, but why would you suddenly come to Canada- OH MY GOOOOOOD!" Aikawa shrieked, suddenly, "ARE YOU TWO GETTING MARRIED?"

"Married?" Isaka gawked at Usami. "To Chibi-tan?"

"Ah… Homosexual marriage is indeed permitted in Canada, isn't it?" Asahina blinked.

"Excellent…! EXCELLENT! THIS IS SIMPLY EXCELLENT! But hooow, after all these years could you not invite me?" Aikawa complained.

"We're not getting married." Misaki snapped, annoyed.

"But why not?" Aikawa pouted. "You're here… you're queer… you should do it!"

"We're not ready, yet." Usami stated simply, tugging Misaki down the hall. "Good night."

** SLAM!**

"Hmm…" Isaka turned to Hiroki, holding his hand out. "Please. The manuscript."

Hiroki begrudgingly handed it over, then folded his arms over his chest. "Don't forget your end of the bargain." He gestured to the FERRET and Isaka glanced over at it, nodded, then turned and headed out.

"I'm not touching it- Asahina, please grab it."

"Are you guys staying in a suite?" Nowaki asked, curiously as Asahina grabbed up the cage.

"Yes, but we'll be checking out early tomorrow morning." He handed over a business card. "When you return to Japan, please call at your convenience and I'll make arrangements to hand over the ferret."

"Thank you very much." Nowaki handed one over, too. "If there are any changes in his health, please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Of course." Asahina took the card and headed out.

"Are you staying with them?" Hiroki asked Aikawa, who also headed out.

"Nope, I have a suite all to myself." She smirked. "Well, see you around- thanks again."

Nowaki closed the door after she had left and sighed. "…You're not angry with me, are you, Hiro-san?"

"Should I be?" Hiroki arched a brow.

"You wanted that manuscript to yourself- you're always the first to read Usami-san's works, so… it was special to you, right?"

"It's alright. They'll come in handy with getting the bunny into Japan, assuming they can pull it off."

"Hmmm…" Nowaki frowned. "That's true… you didn't run on your foot, did you?"

"No, I ran on my hands." Hiroki huffed. "I'm fine. If it hurt too much, I'd stop." He plopped down on the bed. "…Let's salvage what's left of this vacation, shall we?"

"Yes." Nowaki sat beside his lover, placing his hand over his. "…Hiro-san… I love you very much."

"…" Hiroki watched him for a moment before his eyelids drooped and he leaned over, kissing Nowaki lovingly on the lips.

Nowaki was so caught off guard by the simple gesture that he gasped softly into the kiss, then quickly closed his eyes, slipping his tongue between Hiroki's lips and raising a hand to his cheek.

Hiroki pulled back after a moment and pressed his forehead to Nowaki's collar bone, yawning. "…Nowaki…"

"…Yes, Hiro-san?"

"It's cold in Canada…"

"…" Nowaki smiled, wrapping his arms around Hiroki, tightly. "…It is a bit nippy." He teased.

"…I love you." Hiroki whispered. 'Is what I meant,' he thought.

"…I know." Nowaki smiled. "I love Hiro-san, too."

-..- . -..-

"Miyagi, you have to go early today, right?" Shinobu asked as he lay atop his lover, lazily.

"Mm-hmm…" Miyagi tiredly affirmed.

"…When you go… I'll go, too."

"You shouldn't have to." Miyagi smiled.

"Misaki will be with his lover, anyway. It's alright. I want to stay with you."

"…Are you sure?" Miyagi ran his fingers through Shinobu's hair.

"Yeah…" Shinobu hugged him, frowning. "…The last time I was in another country than you… it was too lonely for words…"

"…I hoped you'd go back with me… I bought an extra ticket…"

Shinobu smiled, rising off of his lover. "…Selfish."

"Or do I just know you that well?" Miyagi smirked, eyes still closed. "Let's get some sleep."

"Oooor… we could…" Shinobu rolled his hips against his lover's and smirked at the tired groan that escaped the exhausted professor. "Just kidding…"

"…Goodnight." Miyagi muttered.

"Goood niiight." Shinobu sighed.

"…What?" Miyagi mumbled, against his better judgment.

"…Nothiiiiing…" Shinobu sighed, again, more heavily.

"…If you have something to say, just say it…"

"…Just sad…"

"Why?"

"'Cause you're getting too old to have se-"

Miyagi sighed, rolling over on top of Shinobu and pushing his sweater up his chest. Shinobu smiled, pleased with this outcome and arched his back when Miyagi began fondling him.

"If you fall asleep again, I won't forgive you." Shinobu warned.

"How can I fall asleep when I've just committed to making a huge mess of you?" Miyagi grumbled, tugging the teen's boxers down, too.

-..- . -..-

"Usagi-san… I'm sorry if I worried you." Misaki mumbled as the two lay down in their bed.

"It's my fault." Usami grumbled, still agitated about the entire ordeal. "…I couldn't see who was taking you- all I saw was you getting grabbed away. I was afraid it was someone hired by my family."

Misaki laughed, softly but stopped when Usami glowered seriously at him. "…Usagi-san, your family is weird, that's for sure, but I don't think they'd ever go to those lengths."

"I don't know." Usami found a Suzuki-san and laid him on the bed on the other side of Misaki.

"…For protection?" Misaki teased.

"If you get kidnapped again, be sure to grab Suzuki-san, at least."

"I'm sure he'll protect me valiantly against whatever evil for-"

"There's a chip inside of him and I can track his location." Usami laid his head on a pillow, tiredly.

Misaki considered asking if his lover was serious, but was too frightened to do so. Sighing, he settled down into the bed and spooned against Usami, happily. "…You were worried about me…?"

"Of course."

"…I'm sorry, Usagi-san… don't worry about me, anymore."

"How can I not? You just got kidnapped."

"By friends." Misaki shrugged.

"We're in another country… if someone kidnapped you… mpf… let's not talk about it- try to get some sleep."

"…Mmm…" Misaki frowned. "I feel like you're mad at me."

"I'm not."

"…Are you upset about something?"

"I don't know."

"…" Misaki sighed, tossing Suzuki-san over his lover and keeping his arm draped across him. "…If someone tries to kidnap me… I'll cling onto Usagi-san, too."

Usami turned over after a moment and pulled Misaki closer by the waist. "…I'm sorry…"

"What for?" Misaki frowned.

"…Being crabby."

"Why is it…?"

"…Aikawa really seemed like she thought I brought you here to marry you."

"…" Misaki laughed, nervously. "…I dunno, Usagi-san… I think it's too soon… you're… not asking me, are you?"

"No, but if I was, that'd make things fairly awkward."

"…Ah…"

"But I really wasn't."

"…So what is it?" Misaki frowned. Usami looked very sad.

"…I don't know… I write about BL all the time… but no one's ever really married in my stories… when I give it serious thought… for some reason… I become depressed…"

"…" Misaki frowned. "…I'm kind of like Usagi-san's housewife…" He forced himself to mutter between gritted teeth, eye twitching.

"…Is that meant to make me feel better?" Usami chuckled, pulling Misaki closer.

"I don't know… I'm trying to get a feel for what's bothering you."

"You can't, since I don't know, either… I'm just glad you're back here in my arms."

"…" Misaki blushed. "…Me, too."

-..- . -..-

"Why're you unpacking?" Isaka's legs kicked back and forth as they hung over the edge of the bed. He was lying on the mattress, back pressed into the comfortable blankets beneath him, but his arms were extended, holding the manuscript up above him. He was giving it a quick once-through- though mostly skimming.

"I thought we should stay a bit longer."

"The night." Isaka muttered. "We're staying the night, but then we need to leave in the morning… maybe we should just leave now… what time is it in Japan right now…?" He lowered the manuscript and glanced at his watch. "…Ack… this thing automatically sets itself wherever I am… who bought me this watch? You?"

"You won it in a bet." Asahina continued unpacking.

"Asahina…" Isaka sat up, glaring. "Stop unpacking! We'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

"…" Asahina paused, frowning, his back turned to his lover.

"…Something wrong?" Isaka asked, setting the manuscript aside. "…Jet lag?"

"…I tagged along without even giving it much thought… or so I kept trying to tell myself… but… the real reason I came is because I saw an opportunity… and there was a small part of me that thought… to take advantage…"

"Do what, now?" Isaka arched a brow.

"…" Asahina stood, folding his arms, nervously and turning to Isaka. "…Haven't you ever given it any thought? Or are you content with the way things are, right now?"

Isaka stared at the man, confused for a moment, before smiling and closing his eyes. "Ah… I know what you're talking about…"

"…Then what's your answer?"

"You haven't even asked me, properly…" Isaka huffed, leaning back on his arms, waiting patiently.

"…Do you want… t-to get married…?" Asahina flushed, just slightly. "…We… to me- that is…" He averted his gaze, quickly.

"…We're practically already married…" Isaka huffed. "…We've been together what? A hundred years, now?" He teased.

"…But… marriage is a bit different… It's… a step up…"

"How? Other than legally?" Isaka inquired. "And that's not even in our country…"

"…It just seems… more… legitimate…"

"You read too many romance novels." Isaka huffed. "…Marriage is just a flowery status couples take on so they can make a big deal out of it… besides, Japan wouldn't-"

"We're not in Japan, right now, we're here, and it's possible… this might be the only chance we get…" Asahina huffed, folding his arms. "…If you're against it, just say so."

"I'm not 'against' it, per se, I just don't… oh…" Isaka pointed at him. "…You didn't buy me like… a ring or something, did you?"

Asahina continued looking glumly at the wall, cheeks tinting a little pinker.

Isaka smiled, gently- secretly happy. "Well, let's see it."

"…" Asahina reached into his pocket, producing a small black box.

Isaka shook his head. "Ah… I can't believe you really… open it."

Asahina opened it, annoyed, and Isaka looked away, snapping his eyes closed.

"One knee."

"Are you serious?" Asahina sighed, exasperated.

"Down on one knee."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No." Isaka stared at his secretary and lover, his face dead serious. Asahina frowned. He still got the idea he was being made fun of, but for the sake of the man he loved, he was willing to subject himself to this possible humiliation on the off chance that the man really did want a proper proposal.

Hesitantly, he knelt down in front of Isaka, taking his hand with one and holding the opened box up, with the other.

"…Isaka Ryuuichiro-sama… please marry me… and I will continue taking care of you for as long as I live."

Isaka took the ring, calmly, looking it over before sliding it onto his finger with a sigh. "…You really do always trouble me when it comes to things like this…" He muttered.

Asahina frowned at the floor, brows furrowing. "I humored you… but you needn't feel obligated to humor me… just keep the ring as a gift…"

"Asahina…"

"If nothing else, it may keep women from hitting on you…"

"Asahina."

"… Although I suppose it may become troublesome when our co-workers notice it and begin asking questions…"

"Kaworu."

Asahina glanced up, a sad frown still settled on his face.

"…Your really piss me off." Isaka mumbled, softly, and Asahina blinked.

"…Why? I'm very sorry, Ryuui-"

"No, I'm sorry." Isaka cut him off with yet another sigh. "…I went to the same ring shop, and I saw you buy it."

Asahina blinked, eyes widening. "You… you saw me buy it? Wait… why were you going to the ring shop-?"

"…" Isaka pulled a small black box from his own pocket, opening it and holding it down. "…And you even popped the question before me… I thought you'd be too ball-less and that I would definitely be the first to work up the courage to propose, but you beat me."

"…" Asahina took the ring from the box Isaka was holding out, and he studied it.

"Ah, it's the same ring…" Isaka muttered. "The one I was going to get was a bit different, but when I saw the one you got… I thought we should get a matching s-"

Asahina leaned up, cutting his lover off with a loving kiss. Isaka's eyes narrowed before closing and he reached down for Asahina's hands, sliding the ring over a finger before wrapping his arms around his neck.

When their lips and tongues parted, Asahina pushed Isaka down onto the bed and began working his shirt open, but Isaka pushed him away.

"What is it?" Asahina frowned, again.

"Stop frowning so much- it's supposed to be some kind of really happy occasion when you get proposed to, isn't it?" Isaka huffed. "And besides, you're not supposed to consummate these types of things until you've tied the knot- we don't have a lot of time… the appointment is set for two hours from now."

"…Ryuuichirou-sama…"

"Hurry up. We better get a move on."

"…Yes." Asahina smiled, happily.

-..- . -..-

"Shinobu, you leaving, already?" Misaki frowned as his friend stood out in the hall, waiting for Miyagi to collect his things.

"Yes." Shinobu smiled. "Miyagi has to go in to work Monday, so we have to head out, now."

"Ah…" Misaki nodded. "It's about one PM here, meaning that when you go to Japan, you'll travel about ten hours on the flight… then… you'll be moving forward in time, right? So… no… wait…"

"We need to leave Canada at 3 PM and yes, the flight is a ten hour flight, so we'll get there at about one in the morning."

"…Canadian time." Misaki nodded.

"Ah- right. So we'll get there at about 5 AM Japanese time."

"…Yeah… 5 AM Tuesday…"

"No. 5 AM Monday- he has to be at work on Monday."

"But… here, it's Sunday, now… and if Japan is sixteen hours ahead of Canada, then it's already seven in the morning, Monday, right now, isn't it?"

"…" Shinobu stared at his friend for a moment, the smile leaving his face as his eyes slowly grew wide. "…No, but… it… oh shit…" He slid his fingers into his hair, fearfully. "Wh-why in the hell was I thinking in terms of Australian time?"

"…Hah?"

"I don't know… for some reason, I was thinking in terms of Australian time… which is the same as Japan…"

"Why would you be thinking in Australian time, when you know what time it is, here?"

"I don't know! I was so happy to be here with Miyagi, I haven't been able to think straight at all! MIYAGI!" Shinobu ran back toward their suite, bumping right into Miyagi, who had been exiting.

"Oww, what?"

"Miyagi! Right now it's like 5 AM in Japan!"

"So?"

"Monday! 5 AM Monday!"

"…What? No, that's not right, it's Sunday."

"Not in Japan! HERE, in CANADA, it's Sunday, but Japan is 16 hours AHEAD of us!"

"…Oh… shiiit…" Miyagi stroked his chin, thoughtfully. "…How'd we fuck that one up?"

"What do we do?"

"…Hmm…" Miyagi shrugged. "Call in sick."

"C-call in sick? B-but then no one will be able to give the lectures for either of your classes!"

"Not much can be done about it, now…" Miyagi sighed. "I'll have to e-mail the dean. I won't be able to contact him via phone on the flight, it's too early right now, and by the time the flight ends, my classes will have also ended… so, gonna e-mail him." He sighed, heading back into the room. "Sorry, Shinobu-chin. You'll also miss a day of university classes."

"It's alright…" Shinobu frowned. "I'm sorry, I'm the smart one, I'm supposed to have figured all this out."

Miyagi's brow twitched as he opened his laptop and busied himself with e-mailing the dean.

Misaki frowned. "Sorry about everything, Shinobu…"

"That's alright, I'm glad we realized it before it was too late." Shinobu sighed. "Although it is a bit unnerving that someone as scatterbrained as you managed to catch it when even I didn't…"

"…Scatter… brained…?" Misaki smiled, eye twitching.

"Yeah, thanks again, Misaki- you're a good friend." Shinobu patted him on the arm. "Enjoy the rest of your stay here, okay? If you get married, text me, kay?"

"Okay."Misaki laughed.

"I mean it!"

"I will." Misaki smiled. "Take care on your flight."

"Thank you."

-..- . -..-

"It's actually a little cute…" Asahina stated as he poked a strawberry into the ferret's cage and watched as it sniffed it before taking it and nibbling on it.

"Igh, it's disgusting. Hurry up and hide it in the secret wall." Isaka snapped, passing him while admiring his new ring.

Aikawa, being female, instantly noticed it and glided backward in her rolling chair. "Whaaat is thaaaat?" She squealed.

"I dunno, found it on the road."

"It's a wedding ring!" She exclaimed.

"Hmm, sucks to be the guy who dropped it, then."

"You didn't seriously find it on the road, did you? You have to turn it in to the lost and found!"

"Why? So you can go claim that you lost it? I'm keeping it."

Asahina shook his head as he stuffed a sleeping aid into another strawberry, handed it to the ferret, covered the cage, and slid it into a secret compartment in the wall.

"Really, you have such a thing?" Aikawa watched him, eye twitching. "Executive director… does your father know that you monopolize the company's-"

"Hey, you'll get to see the beautiful Niagara, as promised, when we head out- so pipe down." Isaka huffed. "And what's with the rolling chair? Fasten it down- we'll be taking off, soon!"

"Uuum…" Misaki poked his head through the entrance, suddenly. "Excuse me… but the hotel staff asks that you please remove the air craft from the roof of their building…"

"They didn't have a problem when we parked here." Isaka huffed.

"They didn't notice until just now… when I accidentally mentioned it…"

"Misaki!" Usami grabbed him up from behind, suddenly, hauling him off. "Don't go near them-! They could abduct you!"

"The hotel staff asked me to talk to them, since I speak Japanese."

"How did you even understand them?"

"Well, it's the gist I got- they were all yelling when they noticed it…"

"Thanks, again, for the manuscript, senseeeeei!" Aikawa sang, waving goodbye. "See you in Japan! No hard feelings, right, Misaki-kun?"

"Later."Usami muttered, half-heartedly. Misaki just waved, nervously.

"So gruff…" Aikawa pouted. "Oh well. Off we go!"

"Is there enough air in the secret compartment for the ferret to live?" Asahina asked, suddenly.

"…I dunno. It can be out here once we're in the air, but if we get pulled over, hide it." Isaka huffed.

"'Pulled over' he says…" Aikawa's brow twitched. "And is the pilot of the craft okay with breaking the law?"

"Beats me. Where is that guy, anyway?" Isaka huffed before blinking as his cell rang. He pulled it out. "...Speak of the devil… hello? Where are you! … We're on the roof of the hotel, where we parked!"

"…Parked…" Asahina sighed, sitting down and buckling up.

"…What do you MEAN you're drunk? I don't care- these things practically fly themselves, right? Just meet us here and let's take off before the hotel staff becomes more annoyed."

"…Ugh…" Asahina and Aikawa exchanged nervous glances.

-..- . -..-

"Misaki, shall I marry off the Junai Egoist couple?" Usami inquired as the two entered their suite.

"…I dunno… you should ask those whom you based their characters off of." Misaki huffed, beginning to pack.

"What're you doing?"

"Packing."

"…We still have plenty of time… let's enjoy it."

"…" Misaki yawned, suddenly. "Wow, the jet lag is killing me… a weekend vacation really is a bad idea, when you think about it, logically…"

"What about the Junai Romantica couple?"

"Mm?" Misaki glanced up at him, blinking when his cell went off.

"Should they marry, anytime soon?"

Misaki flushed, busying himself with his cell to distract him from the embarrassing question. "Well… I think you should definitely marry them off… when they're both good and ready… Ah… Shinobu sent me a picture text… should I get one…? Get one what…? Oh…" He opened the picture. It showed watermelon, three ninety nine per pound. "…Usagi-san… will they let Shinobu carry a watermelon onto the plane?"

"I doubt it."

"Hmm…" Misaki texted back that he shouldn't bother, before blinking as he felt fingers sneaking up his shirt. He huffed, continuing to text in an attempt to annoy his lover.

Annoy his lover- IT DID.

Usami glared, snagging the phone.

"Hey!" Misaki snapped, reaching for it, but Usami pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, distracting him.

"S-stop it! Let me send it! Soon, he won't be able to receive texts!"

"Why don't you reply with a picture message, then? Message him a picture of us getting it on to convey that you're too busy to reply to his stupid texts."

"Usagi-san!" Misaki snatched his phone back, but Usami poked him in the armpit and wiggled his finger around until Misaki dropped it, laughing so hard he began coughing.

"Mmm…? Catching a cold, Misaki?" Usami inquired, picking up the abandoned phone and glaring when another notification ringtone-jingle sounded from the device. He turned down the volume all the way, then pushed down once more for good measure. It vibrated once, buzzing. Arching a brow, he pressed down once more, and it began vibrating statically.

"Stop it! Stop using up my cell phone's vibrate feature!"

"Vibrate feature? So yours also has such a feature…" Usami slid the cell between Misaki's thighs and pressed it against the crotch in the teen's pants.

Misaki's eyes widened and he veered away, cheeks burning bright.

"Stop with that! You've already done it once- stop repeating the same boring moves!"

"If they're boring, why do they affect you so much?" Usami asked, groping him roughly and then rubbing at the small bulge in Misaki's pants.

"S-stop that!"

"It didn't work one hundred percent, though… in fact, this seems to have a better affect…" Usami mumbled, reaching up and under Misaki's shirt, pressing the vibrating phone against his right nipple.

"Aaaahhhnnnn…. Usagi-saaan… c-cut it out…" Misaki mumbled, but he actually leaned into the object, absently. Usami caught it, of course, and smirked.

"So your nipples are your weak spot, today…"

"T-today…?" Misaki mumbled, softly. His eyelids drooped as Usami's nimble fingers worked at his other nipple. "Aaah… D-do I have a sensitive-spot-of-the-day or something…?"

"Guesso." Usami smirked, pushing Misaki's shirt to his neck and licking his right nipple before pressing the vibrating phone to it.

"Mmm…" Misaki's brows furrowed and he wrapped his arms around Usami's neck.

"Mm…?" Usami smirked. "You're complying easily, today."

"…Because… it's the… well, we… I mean…"

"Is it because this is a romantic get-away?" Usami smirked.

"…Last night… you were so happy to have me back… you just held me all night… and actually… I… I kind of… wanted to…" Misaki deflated, but Usami never expected him to finish those types of thoughts. Besides, he was shocked at this startling revelation…

Misaki had wanted to do it, last night…?

Then why didn't he instigate…?

In fact, Usami had to work very hard to subdue his own libido the night prior in order to force himself to just hold Misaki all night.

"B-but…" Misaki pulled away, slightly, rubbing at his nipples to try to get them to stop being so erect as he flushed, miserably. "…I also… to have you just hold me, all night… i-it made me really… really… haa… err… I… I felt… loved… proper… ly…" He squeaked out the last part, bowing his head in shame and Usami pulled him close, pressing a kiss to the top of his lover's head.

"Misaki…"

"…Usagi-san… I… l-love… y-you… b-but…"

"Mm?" Usami blinked, pulling back.

Misaki gulped, nervously, averting his gaze. "…N-next time… turn your work in on time… a-and next time… instead of going along with everyone else… and for longer than just a weekend… l-let's go on a proper vacation… j-just the two of us… and for just one night… just like last night… um… and sometimes… at home… it seems like every night you want… to… you know… but sometimes… is it okay if… like last night… if we just…"

Usami stared at his lover in shock. How was it that the teen seemed to have an even harder time suggesting they hold one another than he did when he asked for sex…?

…Maybe he thought it was wimpy or something… whatever. He was touched, and he found himself unable to get over this overwhelming feeling of adoration for the person who sat before him, red in the face, but eyes full of love.

"…Misaki… are you just saying that so I don't push you down?"

Misaki frowned and his gaze lowered to the floor. He shook his head.

"No…"

"…Then… right now…?" Usami smirked, tilting Misaki's head up. "…Do you want to do it…? Or do you want to do _that_…?"

Misaki flushed, swallowing.

"W-well… right now… you already…"

Usami smiled, gently, caressing both of Misaki's cheeks as he guided his face closer, catching his gaze as their lips connected, and smiling into the kiss when Misaki's lashes fluttered shut.

This kiss was fairly tame when compared to some of the steamier kisses they'd shared. In fact, little tongue was used, but somehow it still made Misaki's cheeks burn and Usami closed his eyes when Misaki moaned softly into it.

This brat was just too _vanilla._

But he found he adored his vanilla lover.

-..- . -..-

"Shinobu, what's the matter?" Miyagi asked as he watched his lover return- without a watermelon. "You look like you ate a spider."

Shinobu was glowering at his cell. "I asked someone if they'd let me carry a watermelon onto the flight and someone said no… someone said yes… and… and Misaki sent me a picture of his nipple."

"…Ahehehehwwwhhaaaaat?" Miyagi laughed.

"I don't think he took it… I think Usami-san is picking on him… But I'm setting it up as his caller ID wallpaper."

"Shinobu, that's not such a great idea." Miyagi sighed. "…What do you have set up for mine?"

"A picture of you?"

"Wearing clothes…?"

"Yes." Shinobu rolled his eyes, texting Misaki back.

Miyagi suddenly made a face, wondering which picture Shinobu had set up for his caller ID wallpaper image. "…I'm not eating something in it, am I?"

"…Maybe."

"Is it that picture you took when I was taking a bite out of that burger?"

"…Maybe."

"Ugh. Delete it!"

"What do you have for me?" Shinobu asked.

"What? … You want gum, or something…?"

"No, stupid. The wallpaper!"

"Oh. I don't do that."

"Why not?" Shinobu huffed.

"I dunno… it's a teenager thing to do- I'm a man. I see your name and don't need a picture to associate you with- Adults can make that kind of associ-oww." He mock-pouted when Shinobu hit him in the arm.

"Give me your phone."

Miyagi sighed, handing it over. He mentally checked off all the things they'd done and all the things they had to do- (like ask people to switch seats so they could sit together, since he hadn't been able to get them seats beside one another)- and then he frowned when his cell went off.

"…It's my dad." Shinobu handed it over, quickly. "I'm not with you- I'm with Risako, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Miyagi muttered, answering. "Chairman, I'm so sorry about the mix up. The jet lag has been horrible… you… can't get a hold of Kamijou…? That's probably for the better- he should still be getting better… yes, it should be fine. Actually, I was rather hard on all the students, both his and mine last week and to be perfectly honest, I think a break would be good for them… yes… thank you for being understanding- I'm at the airport, now- I even switched flights so I could get back, sooner. No problem." He smiled, readying to hang up, when suddenly his face went pale. "…Huh… Shinobu…? Why would he be with me…? I-I came to visit family… last I'd heard, he was with Risako… she says he's not with her…? Um… have you tried calling him…? Ah… you don't know his cell phone number…?" Miyagi gestured for Shinobu to hurriedly hand over his cell, which Shinobu did.

Miyagi turned it off, quickly. "His cell phone number is…"

Shinobu blinked, sighing with relief. Miyagi sure was smart… if his father were to call while on the phone with Miyagi, he'd definitely make the connection…

"…-5399… Trust me, sir, if I hear from him, you'll be the first to know! Now I'm worried…" Shinobu rolled his eyes as he listened to his father assure Miyagi that it was probably nothing- just a misunderstanding, and ignored the pang of guilt that hit him from having dumped the task of keeping their secret on Risako in the first place…

Especially since he hadn't told her that he had dumped it on her…

He also felt the slightest bit offended that he'd been out of the country all this time and no one noticed until just now.

"Yes sir, thanks. Thanks, again. Bye." Miyagi hung up.

"…Did you really change our flight?" Shinobu asked.

"No." Miyagi smiled, noticing something. "Shinobu-chin, come here, quickly!" He grabbed his lover's arm and Shinobu glared, reaching for his luggage.

"Leave it, we'll be in sight." Miyagi stated, pulling him to a large painted wall. "Look, it's a painting of the Niagara Falls! We didn't get to see it in person because you whined you could see it on TV or in pictures, and here's one!"

"Yeah, so?" Shinobu huffed.

"Let's take a picture of us in front of it!"

"…Fine… stupid old man…" Shinobu muttered, pulling his cell out and frowning. "My father is calling."

"We'll use mine, then." Miyagi pulled out his cell phone and turned it to them. Shinobu just glared grumpily at it before blinking when Miyagi turned him by the chin and planted one right on his lover's lips, taking the picture.

Shinobu's eyes widened and his face flushed. "M-Miyagi… y-you just… kissed me… in p-public…"

"Yeah." Miyagi frowned at the picture. "But you look so surprised- let's take a better one."

"But…" Shinobu flushed even more, but closed his eyes and leaned into it when Miyagi kissed him again, taking another picture.

Once their lips parted, Shinobu shrugged his shoulders and bowed his head, trying to hide his happy blush.

"Aaah… I missed- what's my hair doing in the back…" He scratched the back of his head then raised the camera up. "Third time's a charm."

Shinobu flushed, looking up at Miyagi and turning away when his lover went to kiss him.

"What's wrong…?" Miyagi frowned. "I thought you liked the idea of kissing in public? This is like our last chance to do it…"

"…Miyagi… I th-think I like the idea of kissing in public a little too much…" Shinobu mumbled, adjusting the pack he was carrying and holding it in front of his pants.

Miyagi blinked before smirking. "Aaah… Shinobu-chin… could it be…? Are you an exhibitionist?"

"N-no!" Shinobu flushed. "D-don't say such things in a public setting!"

"Why not? How many Japanese people do you see?" Miyagi smirked, pulling away and saying, quite loudly: "Does anyone here speak Japanese…?"

No one even glanced his way.

Shinobu huffed. "Still!"

"Shinobu-chin here wants me to bend him over and~!"

"MIYAGIIII!" Shinobu grabbed his lover by the scruff of his neck, flushing deeply. "S-stop it!"

Miyagi laughed, softly. "Oh, I'm going to be doing this all day on the flight!"

"All night." Shinobu huffed. "And no, you are not…"

"Alright, alright." Miyagi pouted, looking up when he heard their flight number being called. "What do you say? One last public kiss?"

"…" Shinobu flushed, annoyed, but he glanced around. No one was paying them much mind, so he hesitantly leaned up, closing his eyes and pursing his lips.

Miyagi snapped a picture, quietly, before leaning down and pecking his lover on the lips.

"You're so adorable, Shinobu-chin. I found the perfect wallpaper for when you call."

"Mm? What's that? If you don't have a good picture, let me take a cool one- but not here. I wouldn't wear this." Shinobu huffed, heading back toward their baggage.

"This one should suffice, don't you think?" Miyagi smirked, showing him the picture he'd taken. Shinobu's eyes bulged and he went even redder in the face. He reached for the camera but Miyagi tucked it into his pocket. "Come on, hurry up."

-..- . -..-

"Aaah… Hiro-san… I'm back from the convenience store…" Nowaki called as he entered the suite.

"Welcome back."

"I got that ice for your foot… but now I see you were just sending me away to get me out of the suite…" Nowaki trailed off as his gaze landed on his lover, who was lying naked on the bed, which had been covered with rose petals.

Hiroki was holding a rose, picking the petals off of it and tossing them onto the bed as he lay on his stomach.

"What took you an hour?"

"…Ah…" Nowaki stared at his lover's gorgeous rear, unable to look away. "Um… I bought the larger bag… and then I realized I didn't have enough for it… so I put it back and got the smaller bag… but then I had to wait in line, and by the time I got to the front to pay for it… the ice had melted, so the cashier let me exchange it for a colder one… Hiro-san, where did you get the roses?"

"Mm…?" Hiroki pulled off the last petal and put it between his lips, turning his upper body so he could glance at his lover.

"…Hiiii…Hiro-san…!" Nowaki dropped the ice, stepped out of his shoes, and climbed onto the bed.

"Be careful around my leg, please." Hiroki mumbled with his lips still pursed, the rose petal bobbing slightly as he spoke.

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki mounted his lover, who huffed, turning to face forward, again and resting his chin on his crossed arms.

"Taking an hour without calling or anything… you had me worried…"

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san…!" Nowaki kissed his lover's shoulders. He didn't care if his lover was really only acting so provocatively thanks to the drugs- he was just glad that they were finally taking advantage of this 'romantic get-away' and the mood that came along with it.

…Okay, so he DID care…

…And in fact… it was sort of… eating away at him…

He pulled back from nipping at his lover's pale nape and frowned. "…Hiro-san…?"

"Hmm…?" Hiroki mumbled, softly… _tiredly_.

"…Why are you doing this…?" Nowaki whispered.

"…Why?" Hiroki touched the petal between his lips with his tongue and ate it, wondering what it tasted like. "…Because I love you."

"…Hiro-san! Don't eat rose petals if you got them from a florist! They may have been sprayed with chemicals which may poison you!"

"Why did you ask why I'm doing this? Can't you just be glad?" Hiroki mumbled, quietly. "…Besides, it feels like you're enjoying it, too. I can feel you poking me…"

Nowaki frowned. "…I'm enjoying it, but it's so out of character of Hiro-san…"

"So? I do things that are 'out of character' all the time. Letting you live after making the stupid comments you make, for example…"

"Is it because of the drugs, Hiro-san?"

"Couldn't be. Haven't taken them."

"Hiro-san, you should take your medicine."

"They make me sleepy- then I won't be able to perform."

"It doesn't hurt without your medicine?" Nowaki inquired, trailing a finger down his lover's back, over his perky rump and then further down toward the bandage wrapped around his leg.

"…No."

"…Liar..." Nowaki accused.

"I'm not lying." Hiroki huffed.

"You hesitated!"

"I was mulling it over." The man shrugged.

"You shouldn't have to mull it over if you reply honestly!" Nowaki snapped, brows furrowed. Why couldn't his lover just be more health conscious? Hiroki was quiet for a moment before he spoke:

"…Put your big cock inside me…"

"H-Hiro-san!" Nowaki flushed.

"What…?"

"D-did you just say…?"

"Just put it in… up to now, this 'weekend getaway' has been shit. It's supposed to be for your birthday, too… so let's get to the good stuff, already… I didn't take a bath with you, I didn't get to do anything you wanted… so this… this is for you… don't worry about my leg so much, and don't worry about my health, or the medicine, or anything else. Just let me indulge you."

"…Hiro-san…" Nowaki frowned. "I appreciate it, but I really can't be a hundred percent happy if I know you're in pain…"

"Okay… so I'll take my medicine now, then we should have plenty of time to do it before I pass out…"

Nowaki smiled. "Thank you, Hiro-san." He got up and got the medicine ready before returning with a glass of water and three pills.

"What the hell is all this shit, anyway?"

"One is a vitamin- I just think you should take them."

"You bastard." Hiroki glared.

"Want me to give it to you mouth-to-mouth?" Nowaki asked.

"…" Hiroki paused. 'Not really… but stop asking! If you want to do something, just do it, damnit!' "…I guess…"

Nowaki smiled, putting the pills between his lips and taking a sip of the water. He laid beside his lover and smiled to him, pulling his face closer by guiding his cheek, and Hiroki pressed his mouth over Nowaki's.

Nowaki ran his fingers through Hiroki's hair, gently, as he transferred the water and medicine, and then he pulled his lover closer and rolled him over, climbing on top of him.

Hiroki wrapped his legs around his lover's waist after swallowing the water, and he rolled his hips upward once, brushing his exposed arousal against the lump in Nowaki's pants.

Nowaki let out a soft sigh in approval, sliding his fingers into his lover's hair on either side of his neck and kissing his lover's chest, sliding his tongue down the crease between his pecks.

"Mm… Nowaki…" Hiroki slid one hand to his lover's hair and the other he used to massage the younger man's shoulder. "That feels good…"

"Ready for more medicine?" Nowaki asked, looking up at his lover.

"Do both at once- they taste gross."

Nowaki smiled. "Then take them yourself."

"How's that fair?"

"It's my birthday."

"Fair enough…" Hiroki sighed, taking the other two pills and downing them quickly with a drink of water. He fought back a facial expression he assumed wouldn't be particularly arousing, then covered his face when he realized he wouldn't be able to conceal it.

Nowaki laughed.

"Don't laugh at me- that stuff's gross."

"But Hiro-san is so _sexy!_"

"Not the face I'm making beneath these hands, smart-ass."

"But when Hiro-san takes care of himself and makes his health a number one priority, it arouses me a lot."

"Don't say stupid, embarrassing things." Hiroki's face reddened from beneath his hands.

"Don't cover your face, Hiro-san."

"I'm waiting for the grimace to go away."

"That bad?"

"That bad."

"Don't worry. I'll have your face contorting into all sorts of aesthetically appealing expressions, soon." Nowaki whispered as he ran his hands over his lover's chest and down to his groin, standing the older man's hardening length up and taking it into his mouth.

As Nowaki had promised, Hiroki's expression changed drastically. He uncovered his face and moaned, softly, weaving his fingers into his lover's dark spikes.

Nowaki sucked harder, massaging his lover's balls and swirling a finger around that tight ring of muscle at his lover's entrance.

"God, Nowaki… I should be doing this for you…" Hiroki panted, reaching down for his lover's face but Nowaki took his hand, lacing their fingers and began bobbing his head some more. Hiroki hissed in pleasure and moaned when Nowaki's finger poked inside.

After a moment, Nowaki stopped, pulling away to get something and Hiroki just panted, chest rising and lowering rapidly.

Just when Hiroki had begun to wonder what Nowaki was busying himself with, he felt his lover's mouth on his groin, again.

He groaned softly, bucking his hips and letting his eyes slide shut as he openly moaned and whimpered for his lover.

Suddenly the reason behind Nowaki's temporary absence was made evident as Hiroki felt something very cold sliding along his upper thigh.

He bit back a moan and started to sit up, but Nowaki swallowed his cock, making him fall back to the bed with a defeated cry of pleasure.

The ice cube circled around Hiroki's contracting entrance and Hiroki spread his legs to invite his lover's mischievous behavior.

Indulging in Hiroki's lenience, Nowaki slid the melting piece of ice inside and suckled hard at the head of his lover's length.

His own growing erection twitched with desire at the adorable groan that escaped his lover as his seed filled his mouth.

After a moment, Nowaki pulled back and parted his lover's legs- careful of his injured one- then planted his face between them, licking and suckling at Hiroki's hole until he began moaning again and his already exhausted legs began trembling.

"Nowaki, stop! You're going to make me come again from just-!"

"I understand." Nowaki pulled back and pressed a kiss to Hiroki's lips, reaching down to stroke at his own erection. "Hiro-san, I'm about to put it in."

"Yeah- do it…"

"Here goes…" Nowaki pushed the head of his cock to Hiroki's hole, nipping at his lover's bottom lip as he slid slowly inside.

The usual hotness that typically engulfed the girth of his cock had cooled considerably, due to the ice that had either melted or retreated further inside.

"Aaaah…" Hiroki let out a soft moan, shuddering in pleasure and squeezing Nowaki's ass, encouragingly. "So good…"

"Hiro-san, you're so cute…"

"What's cute? At a time like this…?"

"Definitely- Hiro-san's unguarded expression is to die for. I could climax from just absorbing that beautifully lustful expression."

"You bastard! Don't voice those types of thoughts…" Hiroki batted back, half-heartedly. "…Buck your hips… mmmMMM…" He moaned quietly, sealing his lips tightly together as Nowaki did as asked, humping his lover quite enthusiastically and grunting when the older male's muscles contracted, clenching down on his swollen member.

"Hiro-san, you feel so amazing…" He whispered softly against the brunette's ear.

"You too, Nowaki- harder… faster…!"

"Hiro-san…!" Nowaki thrust harder inside of his lover, pulling out quickly before slamming back in and moaning softly at the euphoric expression Hiroki displayed.

It was a bit unusual for Hiroki to demand Nowaki speed up when it came to this part, so as soon as Hiroki mumbled another breathless 'faster!' he was more than happy to abide by his lover's request.

The brunette wrapped his arms around the younger male's neck, pressing his cheek to Nowaki's and bucking his own hips up to meet his lover's. "Aaah, that-! There-! Right there-! Yeeeaaaah…" Hiroki moaned and Nowaki reached down to jerk his lover off spastically as he bucked his hips, drawing closer and closer to his orgasm.

He loved the way Hiroki felt- pressed against him. Not only their bodies, but when Hiroki pressed his cheek to his, like this… his emotions would overflow.

"Hiro-san… I love you…" He cried out softly as he came, filling Hiroki with evidence of their love making and arching his back with a muffled grunt.

"Aaaah… Nowakiii…" Hiroki tightened his hold around his lover and came, too, bucking into the last few splurts before collapsing and loving that Nowaki collapsed on top of him.

His face was smashed into Nowaki's neck and he kissed it lovingly. "I love you too, Nowaki… I love you…" He mumbled due to the post coital, lovey-dovey atmosphere that was included in the aftermath of their most heated love-making sessions. He bent his knee, rubbing his thigh along the side of Nowaki's before his leg fell limply back to the mattress. "We should have been doing this all weekend. Those fucking idiots- Professor and Akihiko- they ruined everything."

"…Hiro-san…?" Nowaki rolled off of his lover, slightly- just so that he wouldn't be crushing him. "…Right now it's no good, and I accept that… but eventually… would you consider the prospect of marrying me?"

"You know I would." Hiroki muttered, tiredly, running the back of his fore and middle fingers along Nowaki's jaw line. "…The medicine's kicking in- I'm going to fall asleep."

"That's alright. I love you, Hiro-san."

"Love you, too…"

"About the ice…?"

"I won't kill you, tonight."

Nowaki laughed, softly. "I meant for your leg."

"Don't need it."

"Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled. "…Sweet dreams…"

"I'm cold…"

Nowaki smiled, wrapping his lover up tightly in his warm embrace and kissing his neck until he fell asleep.

-..- . -..-

"Usagi-san…" Misaki whispered as he kicked his legs back and forth, sitting at the corner of their bed as Usami lay beneath the covers, tiredly.

"What is it?" Usami asked, exhausted from jet lag and all of the worry that his so-called 'friends' had put him through when they'd kidnapped his lover. He still earnestly listened for anything his lover may say or ask.

"…Your family knows about our relationship… and you seem like it's problematic for you."

"That's only because my family doesn't care for me to begin with."

"I don't think it's that they don't 'care for' you." Misaki argued. "I feel it's that they want what they think is best for you."

"…Same thing." Usami huffed, stubbornly. "What about it?"

"…Nothing…" Misaki lost confidence and sighed, folding his arms, obviously deep in thought.

"…If it were Takahiro… he'd want what's really best for you… he'd want you to be happy, Misaki."

"…I know… I think I really do know… and believe that, but… when I think about the possibility of niichan not approving… or worse… if he were to react negatively… I think… I mean… I guess what I feel like is that the negative outcome- without knowing for certain what would come out of it… I feel like the possibility of a negative outcome is more undesired than the prospect of a positive outcome is desired… Does that make sense?"

"…" Usami turned over with a soft sigh, reflecting on his lover's words. "…You're more afraid of his disapproval than you are hopeful for his approval."

"…How is it that you can take my long-winded complaints and turn them into something coherent so easily?" Misaki huffed, only half-pouting.

Usami smirked. "I'm a writer. I have to be able to convey my characters' thoughts and even my narratives in a way that even the stupidest reader will understand."

"…What're you implying?" Misaki pursed his lips and Usami smirked.

"Nothing at all."

"Uh-huh." Misaki crawled over to him and Usami raised the covers, letting Misaki slide beneath them, though Misaki was hesitant, Usami was happy that he was being more open and straightforward…

But did they really have to leave the continent of Japan for Misaki to feel confident?

Not that he was about to complain.

The two were quiet for some time, lying in comfortable silence, before Misaki spoke, again.

"…I guess we should tell Niichan, huh…?"

"Eventually…"

"…I like that word, but… maybe it's being cowardly to put it off…"

"I… don't necessarily agree." Usami admitted. Misaki blinked up at him.

"Every little thing that those who know about us say to you, you have a tendency to dwell on. Isaka. Haruhiko. Father. I'm glad you've stayed by my side this long, but because those people don't play a particularly important role in my current life, it's easy to admonish them or dismiss them. To you, Takahiro is a positive influence and I, of all people, can understand why you would yearn to remain in his favor."

Misaki nodded, sadly. He was glad that Usagi-san understood how he felt. For once, his lover's past adoration for his brother was able to come in handy…

"I can also understand you not wanting someone you love to think anything bad about you… and in this type of situation, if, by some off-chance, he were to disapprove, then one in his position would be more likely to try force us apart while he felt our relationship was still fresh. It's easier to undo a relationship that hasn't lived long. If we were to put it off, which I'm perfectly content with- should you decide to do so- then it would likely be easier for him to accept our relationship as stable and may be more apt to refrain from making any attempts at putting an end to it."

"…That makes sense…" Misaki smiled. "…But I feel… like I'm deceiving Niichan… and I don't like it."

"I know. I don't, either… but we'll do what we have to in order to protect our relationship with each other, and our relationship with Takahiro. It's alright to feel that way, Misaki."

"…Still… I'm going to keep thinking about it."

"I'll support you in anything you do."

"Thanks, Usagi-san…"

-..- . -..-

"Miyagi…" Shinobu whispered to his lover as the older man stared at the piece of paper they were passing between one another. "Move."

"I'm thinking." Miyagi snapped.

"It's tic-tac-toe! You are going to lose. Just move."

"Wait…" Miyagi added some lines and Shinobu grabbed the paper away from him, annoyed.

"Come on, Shinobu-chin, let's switch to four-dimensional tic-tac-toe!"

"Let's switch to shut the hell up." Shinobu huffed, balling up the paper and stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

"What do you think, Shinobu-chin?" Miyagi smirked. "About ready to join the mile high club?"

"What?" Shinobu asked quietly, the slightest tint of pink etching its way across his cheeks.

"C'mon… you go to the bathroom, and in a minute, I'll join you."

"No way, old man." Shinobu whispered.

"Fine. I'll go first. I'll be waiting." Miyagi unbuckled and headed for the bathroom.

Shinobu's eyes bulged and he quickly pulled out a book to distract himself.

He pretended to read through it as his mind wandered over the possibilities that reality held for him.

He could meet Miyagi inside that dinky little bathroom and have uncomfortable sex that could get them both in a lot of trouble, or he could just wait here for his stupid lover to get the hint and return in a whiney mood…

How long would Miyagi wait…? Would it sadden him if he waited for a long time? How excited would he be, waiting inside with hopes of Shinobu joining him? What had seemed like such a simple decision a moment ago… suddenly became a very difficult decision to make, due to his lover's feelings… feelings he wasn't even certain would filter through that thick-headed bastard's heart.

Sighing, he set the book beside him, waited for a steward to pass and disappear behind a curtain, and then he headed for the restroom. He glanced around nonchalantly before knocking quietly on the door.

It opened slightly and Shinobu let himself in, annoyed. "What if I had been some fat guy?"

"I'd still love you, even if you were fat."

"That's not at all what I'm- ugh…" Shinobu locked the door as he glared at his smug-looking lover, sitting on the toilet. "You know, that position you're in doesn't particularly arouse me."

"The seat cover is down."

"That doesn't matter. You're still trying to look sexy, sitting on a toilet. That's not going to happen."

Miyagi had had a leg crossed over the other, but now he put both feet flat on the floor. "Climb on."

"This is ridiculous, Miyagi- let's go sit down."

"A little under an hour ago, you had a little problem in your briefs. Is it gone?"

"I'm wearing boxers today, and it's not gone, but it will be if we go sit down."

"It will be if you sit down."

"Miyagi…"

"Tick tock, the clock is ticking."

"I can't…" Shinobu muttered softly, turning to leave, but Miyagi's foot came up to rest firmly against the door. "Miyagi, I really can't. I'm sorry."

"Why?" Miyagi asked, folding his arms over his chest and arching a brow, a smug smile still planted on his face.

Shinobu frowned. "It's too weird…"

"But I thought you liked doing it in public."

"That's not the prob… well… that is the problem… you called me an exhibitionist… I'm really not…"

Miyagi's smirk fell and he sighed. "Shinobu-chin, you need to stop being so sensitive to my teasing."

"I'm not." Shinobu folded his hands behind his back, doing his best not to turn to face his lover. "…I don't want to develop bad habits- I've already developed one really bad one."

"And that has something to do with me? Shinobu-chin, I'm hurt."

"No you're not." Shinobu glared at the wall in his lover's stead.

"Sit."

"…Don't let it become a habit."

"I won't. Sit."

Shinobu hesitantly turned, frowning. "I mean it, Miyagi… I won't be developing any strange habits because of you."

Miyagi lowered his foot to the ground, smiling like his lover's concerns didn't bother him at all. How much consideration had Shinobu given this bastard…?

Annoyed, Shinobu headed over, and Miyagi grabbed his hand, pulling him down onto his lap. Shinobu sighed, carefully getting comfortable and straddling his lover's hips.

He could feel Miyagi's hard-on through his own jeans and he shifted, aroused by it.

"…Miyagi…" He mumbled, ignoring his lover's perverted smile for a moment and hoping that Miyagi's mind wasn't too clouded with thoughts of sex to listen earnestly to what he had to say. "…You brought me all the way out here and went through a lot of trouble to make this trip happen… and I really want you to know how much it means to me."

Miyagi's smile left for a moment and he sighed. "What're you talking about? It's just a flight. I was lucky enough to have already had a passport…"

"Just a flight?" Shinobu frowned. "What do you mean 'just a flight?'"

"You've had to make similar plans multiple times, right? When you went to Australia, when you returned from Australia, and when you went to leave, again."

"…But that's something I did out of cowardice… you threw all this together because…"

"Because…?" Miyagi's smirk returned.

"…Well… you say it." Shinobu glared and Miyagi rubbed his lower back, affectionately.

"Because I love you."

"…So thanks." Shinobu nodded before hugging his lover, tighter. "…Thank you."

"…" Miyagi smiled, hugging him back. "…You're welcome."

"…Miyagi…?" Shinobu mumbled, clinging to the back of his lover's shirt when he felt the man unzipping his pants.

"Mm?"

"…" Shinobu was silent as his lover slid a hand into his pants, running the backs of his fingers along the small bulge in Shinobu's boxer briefs.

Due to the forced close proximity between the two, Shinobu became very conscious of Miyagi; his scent, the touches he delivered, and the warmth of his breath against his ear.

"Mmm…" The teen's face burned and Miyagi smirked, whispering to him.

"What is it…? Just a little touch and you're moaning…? We'll need to keep it down-"

"It's not the touch…" Shinobu argued, quietly. "…It's your smell and…"

"My smell?"

"Your scent…"

"We're in a bathroom." Miyagi huffed. "Can you refrain from making comments like that?"

"No it's not bad…" Shinobu muttered. "It's you… your smell… it's like… your after shave and cologne… cigarettes…"

"I haven't smoked in three hours."

"You smoked right before I came in, didn't you?"

"No I didn't."

"You're telling me if we get off of this toilet seat and I lift it up, there's not going to be a cigarette floating in the water?"

"…"

"I thought so."

"Aww, Shinobu-chin, you know me so well." Miyagi nudged Shinobu's balls again and the teen gasped, burying his face in Miyagi's neck.

"Don't surprise me if you want me to keep quiet!"

"…Well there's one way to keep you quiet…"

"That's not romantic at all!" Shinobu's cheeks burned red.

"Neither is rejecting my loving advances."

"Alright, alright… but if we hit turbulence, and I bite down…"

Miyagi frowned. "Don't bite down, just swallow it."

"…What?"

"Just kidding…" Miyagi smirked as Shinobu climbed off and moved his hands to his pants. Miyagi's fingers covered his and Shinobu looked at him, confused.

"What're you doing?"

"Pull them down."

"…? But I'm just going to give you-"

"Pull them down…"

"…" Shinobu blinked, his cheeks darkening. He wasn't sure if his lover was serious or not. As if sensing this, Miyagi narrowed his eyes.

"I want to see you on your knees, with your pants pulled down, sucking on my-"

"I got it, I got it!"

"Ah," Miyagi's face lit up, happily. "So you'll do it?"

"Hell no, you damn old pervert!" Shinobu snapped, annoyed. "Why should I?"

"Which would work better? Trying to be cute or reminding you of all that stuff I went out of my way to do for you?"

"Ugh…" Shinobu sighed, annoyed. "Well you can't pull cute off, and now that I'm aware of your intentions, reminding me of that other stuff would really only piss me off."

"Aww, Shinobu-chin, I just want a show… why do you always call me a pervert and a dirty old man, I just love you… why can't you understand that?"

"And you still try to go with cute…?" Shinobu huffed.

"Fine, you don't have to do any of that stuff…" Miyagi sighed. "Just climb on and we'll have some fun."

"…" Shinobu sighed. "I'll do it… but you have to do something for me."

"Anything." Miyagi grinned.

"…Stop scaring me."

"…?" Miyagi blinked, grin diminishing. "…What do you mean? Is this about the other day? When all my stuff _mysteriously _disappeared from my apartment?"

"Shut up about that…" Shinobu huffed, still embarrassed that it hadn't dawned on him to check his own apartment. "…No, I mean every other week when you say stuff like: 'Well if it's too much trouble for you, we should probably break up,' or 'Shinobu, if our relationship ever becomes detrimental to your future, we should probably part ways,' and stuff like that… you can't go from saying things like 'I love you, I'll never give you the cure for your addiction to me,' or 'thanks for loving me' if the next day you revoke or negate it by insinuating that you'd leave me in a heartbeat…"

"…" Miyagi frowned, eyes lowering to the ground for a moment before he raised his hands up to caress Shinobu's face, gently from either side. "…Shinobu-chin… this may not come out right… but I'm going to do my best… try to hear me out, okay?"

"…?" Shinobu nodded, sinking to his knees on the ground and sitting in front of his lover, looking up at him and waiting, patiently.

"…When I think seriously about your future… and consider the bad things that might come up… like people finding out about us… I get knots in my stomach… I used to think that because of my tenure and my reputation, it'd be really bad for me, and that that's why it bugged me… but I don't really care about that… what bothers me is the prospect of your future being littered with obstacles and struggles because of me… and the thought of you having to live a difficult life- or any life other than one full of happiness… just that possibility really… really bothers me…"

"…It's not all one-sided, you know." Shinobu mumbled. "If my father found out about us, even if you say that stuff about your reputation isn't important to you… I know it is, even just a little… I realize what a threat I am to your whole existence… I realized it when I first confessed to you… you're my big sister's ex-husband… you're my father's subordinate… I could literally destroy your whole world… I realized it back then… and I went ahead and confessed, anyway…"

"…" Miyagi nodded.

"…Do you think that was wrong of me? Don't you feel like I did the right thing?" Shinobu asked. "…Do you think… I was selfish?"

Miyagi was silent for a moment before smiling, sadly. "Yeah…"

Shinobu's eyes widened and his eyes began welling with tears. He hadn't quite been expecting that response.

"…It was selfish, Shinobu… I can't deny that… and I don't really believe in that fate stuff that you do… I read horoscopes for fun…"

Shinobu lowered his watery gaze to the floor, sadly, a rock-like lump forming in his throat.

"…But… right or wrong… selfish or not… you did explode into my world… and you did destroy it… you changed everything… what's funny is other people can't see it… they can't, and I don't want them to… it might be bad if they do, but… even still… they can't see it, but… you changed a lot… my whole world changed… and if it hadn't… I can't fathom… what it would be like to go back to… living like that… if you can call it living…"

Shinobu looked up, letting the tears that had welled up trickle down his cheeks and Miyagi gently brushed them away before caressing his lover's cheeks, gently.

"…It was selfish of you, and maybe even a little ridiculous… and stupid… I really do feel that way… but there's no one in the world who could make me happier than you do. No one else who could have broken in like you did. You broke through my defenses, and into my world… so I had to build them back up with you trapped inside… and I can't stand the thought of ever letting you out…"

Shinobu drew his lips in, biting on them slightly to avoid allowing them to tremble or showing any signs of being phased by Miyagi's words, for now… other than those treacherous tears.

"…So when I say that stuff about breaking up… that's usually just something I'm saying to make you quit acting on your emotions. When you pull shit like that, you risk doing things that aren't in your best interests, and it bugs me because I know I'm selfish. I am. When I say stuff like that… it's whatever small part of me that is actually cognizant of your best interests and puts them before my own happiness… it's that part talking… but… I'm gonna level with you, Shinobu… now that I've got you… I'm probably never going to let you go… I'm way too selfish, myself… and that part of me will probably always win against the part of me that wants what's best for you…"

"…Are you… just saying that to get me to suck you off…?" Shinobu asked and Miyagi sighed.

"No… I'm not. Don't expect me to repeat what I'm saying now… From now on… let's let it be a subintelligitur, okay? Something unspoken, but understood by both of us…"

"…Miyagi… are you really happy that I came into your life?"

"…Yes." Miyagi smiled.

"…And do you really love Matsuo Bashou?"

"…Huh?" Miyagi's eye twitched. "…Yes…?"

"THEN WHY CAN'T YOU FIND A WAY TO SAY IT MORE POETICALLY?" Shinobu glowered at him and Miyagi huffed, still holding his cheeks.

"I already told you I'd muddle it up. Let me try to condense it into one simple sentence."

"Good luck."

"...You're my everything, now."

Shinobu sighed, the lump in his throat dissipating, for the most part, but he still felt like crying a little…

"Miyagi…"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Shinobu whispered, sitting up on his knees and wrapping his arms around Miyagi's waist. Miyagi held him back, pressing a kiss to the top of the teen's head.

Shinobu pulled back and slid his pants down his thighs.

Miyagi smirked. "You don't have to do that."

"Don't lie! I do, too. After you said all that." Shinobu huffed, undoing Miyagi's belt and unbuttoning his pants. "You could've at least did this much for me, though."

"I seriously wasn't sure you'd show." Miyagi smirked.

"I'll always come for you, Miyagi…" Shinobu muttered, not looking his lover in the face. He knew if he did, he wouldn't be able to fight his blush back. Licking his lips, he pulled Miyagi's dick roughly out of his jeans.

"Oww- careful. Brat." Miyagi huffed. "After all those nice things I said…"

Shinobu stroked his lover a couple of times, glaring at the head of the penis with determination. He wanted to hear Miyagi grunting, groaning, panting and moaning for him. He chanced a glance up at his lover, but when he saw how adoringly his lover was looking at him, he lost some nerve.

"What…?" He mumbled, softly.

"I was just thinking that I've already pushed you too far, and that asking for ooooone last thing would probably make you mad."

Shinobu glared. "What is it?"

"Why don't you put on a bit of a show?"

"What show? We're cramped in here enough as it is."

"Just touch yourself- in the back- while you're… you know…?"

Shinobu's eyes widened slightly and the pink tone returned to his cheeks as he sighed, annoyed. "…You really are nothing but a dirty, perverted old man." He huffed, steadying himself with one hand and guiding his lover's cock to his lips with the other. He mouthed the head for a moment, running his tongue all over the top before closing his eyes and sliding forward, taking in as much as he could.

Miyagi grunted slightly at the heat and then gasped quietly when Shinobu sucked and swallowed, once.

"Careful, Shinobu-chin… don't gag…"

Shinobu pulled back, running his tongue over the head again before sliding forward once more, swallowing and repeating that pattern a few times.

"Aaah…" Miyagi slid his fingers into Shinobu's hair, struggling not to cling too tightly to the soft, light locks. "Shinobu-chin… that feels good…"

"Mmm…" Shinobu quickened his pace and reached behind himself with his free hand, fingering himself, awkwardly.

"Aaaah…" Miyagi grunted and Shinobu looked up at him. He wanted to see his lover's face when he made those sounds.

Miyagi had his eyes closed and was panting heavily, but he blinked them open and when their gazes met, he smiled lovingly down at Shinobu and it made the teen moan softly, sucking more and bobbing his head, enthusiastically.

"You look like you actually like it…" Miyagi smirked, and Shinobu pulled off for a moment, sucking at the head, wetly. The noise made Miyagi shudder.

When the teen pulled back, his large eyes locking with Miyagi's, the man froze solid.

"I do like it…" Shinobu told him, quietly. "I love it."

"…You're just saying that to be sexy." Miyagi huffed, pursing his lips.

"No… it makes you really happy… so I love doing it… If I can make you feel amazing, like you do me… I wanna do it…"

"Shinobu…"

Shinobu leaned forward, licking along the underside of his lover's erection before going down on him, again, closing his eyes and fingering himself more roughly.

"Aaah… Shinobu-chin… raise your hips so I can see, better…" Miyagi panted and Shinobu froze, blinking, mouth still engulfing his lover's dick.

He pulled back after a moment, looking up at his lover, confused. "…See… better…?" He glanced over his shoulder and gawked. The closed door was serving as somewhat of a mirror, giving Miyagi a slightly distorted view of his lover's ass.

Turning, he sighed, annoyed. "I shouldn't have expected anything less from you."

Miyagi smiled devilishly and Shinobu got up, carefully straddling his lover.

"Put it in me."

Pressing his nose into Shinobu's neck, Miyagi slowly slid his dampened cock into the teen.

"Mmm…" Shinobu grunted slightly. "I knew this would be rough since we're in a fucking restroom smaller than a standard stall…"

"Does it hurt?" Miyagi frowned.

"Well… it doesn't particularly feel good…" Shinobu admitted, closing his eyes tightly.

Suddenly the plane hit turbulence and the two were lifted from the seat and then slammed back onto it.

Miyagi's eyes widened. "Aaah… Shinobu-chin, are you-?"

"Aaaah… that felt really good, Miyagi… do that again…"

"...Uh…"

"Miyagiii… again…"

"But… Shinobu, didn't you feel the-?" The plane jumped again and Miyagi clung to Shinobu for dear life as he landed roughly again, this time both of them moaned out loud.

"Aaah, Miyaagiii… again… again…"

"I'll sure as fuck try, Shinobu, but I seriously am-"

The plane jumped again and the two fell off the toilet seat and landed on the floor, Shinobu on top.

"Aaah…" The teen groaned, softly and as pleasurable as it was, Miyagi couldn't help but panic a bit.

"M-maybe we should get back in our seats."

"Hell no…" Shinobu muttered, bouncing enthusiastically on his lover. "Just keep doing whatever you're doing…"

"Shinobu, you know that's the plane, right?"

"Yeah, it doesn't matter, just keep doing it…"

"Shinobu… what if you get hurt?"

"You mean like if I get impaled?"

"Ugh, this is no laughing matter…" Miyagi muttered.

"You're the one who wanted to do this, just relax for a second, I'm soo close…"

"Alright, alright… they're going to come looking for us any second, though!" Miyagi muttered, grabbing onto Shinobu's waist and bucking his hips.

"Mmm…" Shinobu leaned forward and moaned softly, arching his back as Miyagi ground against that spot, over and over. "I… I love you…"

"I love you too, Shino-"

"Yoh…" Shinobu squeaked Miyagi's first name softly, wrapping his arms around the professor's neck as he came hard, moaning quietly, and burying his face in Miyagi's chest. "Mmm…! MM!"

The use of his first name combined with the adorable sounds Shinobu made sent him over the edge and Miyagi clutched onto his lover tightly, coming inside of him, as well.

Shinobu panted and slowly pulled away, face flushed with embarrassment. "…I'm sorry…"

"Sorry…?" Miyagi whispered, also breathing heavily.

"…I called out…"

"My name?" Miyagi smirked. "…It sounded great… even a dopey name like mine… coming out of you… it sounded…" He caressed Shinobu's cheek, again. "…Amazing."

"…" Shinobu flushed, glowering at his lover, embarrassed. "…W-we should get up."

"Why did you use it?" Miyagi whispered.

"…It was an accident…"

"Have you used it before?"

"You remember me using it before?" Shinobu glared, face burning red and confirming Miyagi's suspicions.

"…You've used it before when I wasn't around, haven't you?" The man smirked.

"Shut up! Get dressed! I think someone's coming!"

Miyagi smirked, grabbing some toilet paper and cleaning them up as best he could before tucking himself into his boxers. "You first."

"…" Shinobu glowered at him. "I'm red in the face, you BASTARD. You first."

Miyagi smirked. "You'll come for me, right, Shinobu-chin?"

"Get out." Shinobu averted his gaze, huffing. Miyagi smirked, heading out.

"Oh, sir, please carefully be seated, we've been experiencing some turbulence." A flight attendant told him.

"Sure thing!" He waved, smiling, and headed to his seat.

The woman turned and blinked, realizing someone was in the bathroom. Confused, she knocked on the door. "Hello?"

"Occupied." Shinobu called in English.

"Please hurry, sir… the plane has hit turbulence… oh… are you alright in there? If there's a mess, I can get one of the-"

"No mess- just give me a sec."

"Please hurry, sir."

"I will, thanks. Can't go with you standing out there."

"…Oh…" The woman blinked, baffled, and headed into the back. After a moment, Shinobu exited, slightly less red in the face (but not much), and headed to his seat, sitting down beside Miyagi and buckling up.

The two were silent for a moment, Shinobu continuing to lose some of the redness to his face, and Miyagi with a dopey grin still plastered on his face.

"…Miyagi…"

"Mm?"

"…Think we'll be visiting Canada again, in the future?"

"Maybe… probably." Miyagi smiled. "…We'll definitely be riding more planes."

"Mpf…" So much for the loss of redness…

"Maaaany more planes." Miyagi retained his dopey grin.

-..- . -..-

**AN: **Okay it took forever to post this chapter. Thanks to all my reviewers who pushed me to continue with this, and to Sarah who was far more adamant about it when she realized there was going to be Tero plane sex XD

Next chapter might be out at some point in 2010? Aheheheh… .…


	17. FIN

**AN: **Wow, I wonder if this is the longest I've gone without updating… Oh well, this is a last chapter… it's been a long ride and due to the lack of Egoist and Terrorist support from Nakamura-sensei, my interest and love for this fandom has been declining, sorry to say. Romantica really is my least favorite . no offense, Roma fans. But I've abandoned a fic before and don't want to do it again, so I'm trying to finish the rest of them off. Sorry if the endings seem blunt- I know it's tacky to tackle things this way, but I feel it's better than just ditching, completely…

-..- . -..-

**Chapter 17**

**~FIN~**

-..- . -..-

It had been a few days since he'd returned from Canada, and Kamijou was feeling worlds better. Rather than returning to work, prematurely, he was instructed (ordered) by the chairman to continue taking it easy. So now that his leg was feeling much better, he was glad to be returning to work.

Kamijou entered his office with a prideful smile. He looked forward to teaching his students again. It'd been far too long since he'd felt needed, felt as though he was useful like he did at work, and he was more than happy to return.

"Good morning, Kamijou." His superior greeted him and Kamijou sighed. Well, work was great save for his freak of a boss, but even Miyagi couldn't trample on his good mood this morning- and a simple 'Good morning' from the man was more than he could hope for.

Things were certainly starting to look up.

"I missed you so much, I made a replacement Kamijou-sensei." Miyagi gestured, without turning from his work, to a mop that was propped up in Kamijou's seat, wearing Kamijou's glasses, with a coat hanger for arms.

"…That's… disturbing…" Kamijou ignored the fact that his superior was indirectly calling him a mop-head, and the fact that the bastard had put his perfectly good glasses on the 'face' of a dirty mop that he'd found GOD KNOWS WHERE, _and_ the fact that this incident only reaffirmed his theory that his superior was probably the type of person who had tea parties with stuffed animals as a small child.

He took his glasses from the mop, wiped them off with his shirt, slid them on his face, lifted the mop, and raised it up, debating on whether or not he should smash it down on Miyagi's head as hard as he could. Instead, he simply bopped his boss on the head with an irritated sigh, and dumped it on the floor before taking his seat.

"You're sure in a good mood this morning." Miyagi stated, sipping at his coffee.

"I'm happy to be here." Kamijou replied, sending shivers down Miyagi's spine.

"…G-glad to have you…"

"Please resist the urge to ruin my good mood."

"I'll do my best!" Miyagi perked.

Kamijou wasn't sure how to interpret that, but he knew Miyagi well enough to determine his statement indicated that he would certainly do his best to _absolutely demolish _Kamijou's good mood.

"I'm going to get some coffee… need anything while I'm up?" Kamijou inquired.

"A green balloon…"

"Eh? What the hell for?" Kamijou blinked.

"Ah- no…" Miyagi pointed at his paper. "Reading my lucky item for today."

Kamijou let out an exasperated sigh. "Did you do ANY work while I was gone?"

"Of course! This is the first time I've been able to determine my lucky item! What's my lucky color…" He turned back to his paper.

"…What's mine?" Kamijou asked. "I could use some additional luck."

"…" Miyagi blinked before glancing over the paper. "…Today, Kamijou, your lucky item is…"

"…?" Kamijou waited for his superior to ask him his birthday, unsure as to whether or not he actually knew.

"…A Styrofoam cup… why do you get the easy ones?" Miyagi huffed.

"Not like I'll carry one around, all day." Kamijou huffed.

Miyagi pulled one out of his drawer, handing it over. "There! I want it back, tomorrow!"

Kamijou stared at it. "…This is going to bring me luck?"

"Yep."

"DON'T SAY IT LIKE IT'S A FACT! YOU'RE BASING YOUR AFFIRMATION ON GROUNDLESS EVIDENCE! THAT STUFF IS NOTHING BUT A PSEUDOSCIENCE!" Kamijou huffed.

"They've proven that astrology is a scientific-"

"WHO HAS PROVEN IT? WHEN? CITE YOUR SOURCES!"

"Well, time for my first lecture to begin. So glad to have you back, Kamijou." Miyagi patted Kamijou on the head and headed out, merrily.

"…I'll find a green balloon and pop it in your face, you bastard." Kamijou grumbled as he headed toward the break room to get himself a cup of coffee.

-..- . -..-

Stacking his papers for his next lecture, Kamijou glanced up as Misaki approached his desk at the front of the classroom.

"Good afternoon, Takahashi-kun. How are you, today?"

"Fine, thank you." Misaki smiled brightly, and Kamijou sighed, annoyed. "I actually had a question about the current text you assigned us."

"What would that be?"

"My question? Well, I've read this one chapter about three times, and I think I'm totally missing something the author is trying to convey… everyone in the class keeps saying it's deep and meaningful, but I think it's just soaring right over my head." Misaki opened his book and showed Kamijou, who peered at the paragraph Misaki was pointing to.

"Oh, this chapter can be interpreted a number of different ways, and no one's really sure what he's trying to convey, all you really have to go by is your own interpretation, which is the way the author probably meant for it to be…"

"But the only interpretation I'm getting is that the author is boring and that the stuff he writes is vague and ambiguous…"

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way."

"Then why did you assign it?"

"I'm still trying to interpret it, and I like getting the interpretations of younger generations… even though it's vague, it's interesting to see what other people come up with."

"…Oh…" Misaki huffed. "So, how's your leg treating you?"

"I kicked Nowaki with it this morning, so I'd say it's in pretty good shape… I'm only joking." Kamijou corrected himself at the gawk he received from his student.

"O-oh… good… I noticed you're sitting more during this lecture than the last few, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay… Usagi-san told me that if I noticed you overexerting yourself, I have to tell him so he can… something…"

"Something? Like… beat me up?"

"Something like that… he said if I didn't relay the message, he'd punish me… so… I'm relaying the message…" Misaki's face told Kamijou that he feared Usami's 'punishment' even more than he feared getting hit in the face with blunt objects, so said 'punishment' must be sexual in some way…

Vinegar.

"GUGH!" Kamijou shuddered, suddenly.

"You okay?" Misaki blinked, obliviously.

"Y-yes… did you have any other questions?" Kamijou asked.

"No…" Misaki smiled. "Take care, Kamijou-sensei."

"You, too."

-..- . -..-

Despite the slight change to his schedule; that being Misaki, the day went by pretty normally for Kamijou. He returned to his office at the end of the day to find a rather pleasant surprise.

"Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled, greeting him. "How was your day?"

"Nowaki?" Kamijou blinked. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to walk you home. N-not because I didn't think you'd manage just fine on your own, but because I had some free time and thought we'd go out to eat."

"How romantic." Came a playful comment from Miyagi's side of the office. Kamijou shot him a glare.

"The chairman didn't see you, did he?" Kamijou asked with a sigh as he sat, blinking when he noticed a card, some chocolates, and a red and blue balloon waiting for him at his desk. "…Did you bring these, Nowaki?"

"No, they're from the chairman." Nowaki smiled. "He just returned from some kind of trip and he left them for you- and a green balloon, but…"

Kamijou turned, glowering at Miyagi, who was rocking from side to side as he read a student's report, a yellow ribbon that ascended through the air, attached to a green balloon, was looped around the hand that held the student's report.

"That's_ my_ balloon, you bastard!" He snapped.

"Hiro-san, you like balloons?" Nowaki blinked.

"Don't get the wrong impression!" Kamijou snapped. "I neither like nor dislike balloons, but he's being simply obnoxious!"

"It's my lucky item for the day." Miyagi informed Kamijou's tall lover.

"Eh-? What's my lucky item?" Nowaki asked, excitedly.

"Ah, let me see, let me see…" Miyagi set the report down and began digging around for his newspaper, being sure to keep a tight hold on _his _balloon. "Here it is… You were definitely born in this month, right?"

"…" Nowaki's smile faded. "Oh, that's right… it won't work if you don't know your real birthday, will it?"

"PROFESSOR! I HATE YOU!" Kamijou snapped. How could that bastard so easily make Nowaki sad?

"Well, we'll just have to get you one of every of the lucky items, then you'll be well-protected!" Miyagi exclaimed. "A green balloon, a Styrofoam cup, a utility knife, scissors, cheesecake, apple pie, a ruler, a reusable shopping bag, a vitamin supplement, mineral water, a sentimental card, and a buttoned shirt."

"Hiro-san has a buttoned shirt, I can take a vitamin supplement at home with some mineral water-" Nowaki began listing and Kamijou gawked.

"NOWAKI! DON'T TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY!"

"Let your toshishita-seme have some fun, Kamijou, don't you want him to be lucky?" Miyagi huffed and Kamijou flushed deeply. (1).

"YOU BASTARD!"

"Ah, we can order apple pie and cheesecake at that restaurant, Hiro-san!" Nowaki suggested.

"…Fine."

"You have such kind superiors, Hiro-san." Nowaki took the welcome-back card from Kamijou's desk and looked over it.

"Is that open for debate?" Kamijou huffed, annoyed. Still, he had found the gestures from his peers and superiors to be somewhat touching.

"Are you ready to go home, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked.

"Need a ride?" Miyagi offered.

"Ah, no thank you." Nowaki declined. "It's close by, and Hiro-san is doing much better."

"Good to hear. Thanks for keeping me posted."

"Don't talk to each other, I don't like it." Kamijou huffed, and the two eyed him, annoyed at the ridiculous request.

"Well, we'll be off, then." Nowaki sighed. "Take care, Miyagi-san. Ah, I meant to ask you!"

"Mm?" Miyagi blinked.

"Next weekend, we're having Usami-sensei and his lover over for dinner. Would you and Takatsuki-kun like to join us?"

"I'll have to check with him, but I'm on board!"

"Don't ask THEM!" Kamijou snapped, flushing. "He's my boss! That's weird!"

"We are friends first, and boss and subordinate second, Kamijou—I'm hurt!"

"You're not hurt."

"I'm bleeding!"

"YOU ARE NOT!"

"My heart, that is."

"Ugh." Kamijou sighed. "Let's GO, Nowaki."

Pulling the door open, the assistant professor wasn't fazed when he came face to face with one Takatsuki Shinobu.

"Good evening, Kamijou-sensei." Shinobu greeted, civilly, lowering the hand he'd raised to open the door with. "How's your leg?"

"Fine, thanks. School?"

"Well, actually. How's Kusama-san?"

"Present." Nowaki called from inside the office, and Shinobu entered, smiling.

"Kusama-san!"

"Takatsuki-kun."

"How are you?"

"Well, and you?"

"Great!"

Miyagi glared from one male to the other, then glanced at Kamijou. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Yes." Kamijou replied, grabbing Nowaki by the wrist. "Take care, Takatsuki-kun."

"Thanks for the phone interview the other day, Kusama-kun, I got an A on my paper."

"PHONE interview? You have each others' phone numbers?" Miyagi snapped.

"Yes, he helped me with a report I had to write."

"About what?"

"Pediatrics… it could be about anything, but I chose pediatrics."

"Why?"

"Needed an excuse to exchange phone numbers with Kusama-san."

"And it worked quite well." Nowaki laughed. "I'm going to give him some cooking lessons, too."

"I CAN DO THAT! I CAN COOK!" Miyagi snapped.

"Then how come you never do?" Shinobu snapped, indignantly.

"BECAUSE OF A CERTAIN BRAT WHO MONOPOLIZES MY KITCHEN!"

"Always making me do all the work." Shinobu huffed. "What a horrible boyfr-!"

Miyagi covered Shinobu's mouth, annoyed. "Think of where we are, would you?"

"Hmpf."

"Well, we're off. Take care, you two!" Nowaki waved.

"You as well." Miyagi huffed, and a muffled goodbye sounded from behind his hand. He let go of Shinobu's mouth.

"What's with you?" Shinobu asked, after the two had left. "Are you jealous of Kusama-san?"

"No, I'm done being jealous, it just annoys me."

"Why?" Shinobu smirked.

"Because!"

"Not 'because.' Why?"

"…I don't like you talking to other men."

"Sounds like jealousy to me." Shinobu pointed out.

"It's not!"

"Then what is it?"

"…Aggravation!"

"You're just replacing the word 'annoyed' with one which is synonymous."

"I'm just irritated, is all!"

"You're doing it, again!"

"It's because if you have time to be chumming it up with Kusama-kun, you should be chumming it up with me!"

"You were at work."

"Mpf…"

"So does it still annoy, aggravate, and irritate you?" Shinobu smirked, smugly.

"…Yes."

"Then it's jealousy."

"Why did you come here?" Miyagi's eye twitched.

"To bring you home."

"…" Miyagi sighed, smiling slightly.

"What?" Shinobu blinked.

"Nothing. I'm happy."

Shinobu flushed, slightly, turning quickly away. "Good."

"Good." Miyagi smirked.

"…So let's go."

"Wanna do it in your dad's office? _Exhibitionist?_"

"I'm leaving without you." Shinobu snapped, heading off.

Miyagi laughed and followed.

-..- . -..-

"Usagi-san…?" Misaki called as he entered the home they shared. "You here?"

"Misaki! Come quick!"

Misaki blinked, hurrying toward the sound of his lover's voice. He found Usami in the kitchen, staring at something on the floor.

"What is-? Ah-!" Misaki gawked at a large spider that was on the floor, trapped under a glass jar. "A spider?"

"…I don't want to kill it, but I don't want it here. Take care of it."

"…How long have you been standing here…?"

"Twenty minutes or so."

"…" Misaki sighed. "What did you do when spiders came in here before I moved in?"

"Moved."

"Pfft." Misaki snickered. "Seriously?"

"Called Aikawa, Takahiro, or Hiroki."

"Ah, speaking of Kamijou-sensei, I saw him, today."

"Um duh. He's your professor."

"But he's not been in until today." Misaki huffed, sliding a postcard under the jar and the spider climbed onto it. Using it as a platform, Misaki lifted the jar and turned it upside down, carrying the spider past an edgy Usami and over to the front door.

He let it free outside and Usami huffed.

"It'll just come back inside!"

"I'll just take it back out again. Next time, just go upstairs and do your work."

"I just turned one in. I'm not OBLIGATED to write all the time. I could stop any time."

"True…" Misaki noted. "…So, Usagi-san! Kamijou-sensei sat down and took good care of his leg, today. Report finished. Can I go to my room and do some homework?"

"Not yet, I need you to feed me."

"Feed you? What would you like?" Misaki asked, also a bit hungry.

"Misaki."

"Ugh…" Misaki sighed. "You never change… um… can I ask you something?"

"Mm?" Usami's hands, (which were just about to undo Misaki's pants), froze. "What is it?"

"…About my brother… I've given it some thought and… I've decided that for now… I like things as they are."

Usami lowered his hands. "…Misaki… that's fine with me… but just realize that whatever you want to do, I'm behind you and I'll be here for you."

"…" Misaki smiled. "Thanks, Usagi-san. Ah, the spider had a friend!" He pointed and Usami jumped, slightly, turning and peering over his shoulder, but he only saw Suzuki-san.

"That's not a spider, it's a bear." He stated, turning and blinking. Misaki was gone.

So the little idiot was getting smart, huh?

Taking this as an invitation, (as only Usami Akihiko would), the author gathered his bear, and headed upstairs to find, and very likely molest his beloved Misaki.

-..- . -..-

The end.

Yeah, abrupt. Like I said, kind of tacky but better than just letting it hang. I think I was going to go somewhere with Haruhiko and Hiroki's relationship and I was going to do something about Takahiro finding out about Misaki, but that's been done so many times I find it trite and not to mention, the timeline's all messed up now, lol. I guess we can file this one under AU, now… . Oh well. Take care, everybody!

(1) Toshishita-seme – a seme who is younger than the uke.


End file.
